Times to be: Book 4: Wrath of Time
by Destinies Trek
Summary: Continuation of Book 3: Takuya & his crew return reunited to Earth in success. Little do they know that someone has been watching...waiting for the time strike. Will they be able to keep Earth from falling pray to its fate, or can Ryo's secrets save them?
1. Tempus Fugit

**Disclaimer:** Okay, I know it's been about- Shit! Eleven months since my last update! Well, I guess that explains why this damn thing is so long... Well, I guess there's no way for me to joke my way out of this one, so I'll move one the part that I know for a fact that about percent of everyone skips: I don't' own either Star Trek, or Digimon, just the junk and characters that I can find in the back of my warped mind, so **DON'T SUE ME!!**

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**Unknown Holding Cell, Unknown Time**

Commander Denice Wriggly struggled on top of the steel table, as she once again relived her old nightmares...

Enter Dream

_"Multiple vessels have been detected; unimatrix 7-2-5, sector one-one-alpha-five-six. Activate."_ Came a single voice from an ocean of monolithic chatter. Commander Riggley struggled to block out the voices of the collective mind, as her eyes opened, and she felt her legs begin to move.

_'No, I don't want to do this again!'_ Shouted the commander, as she struggled to hold her body, but couldn't stop her legs from moving. She watched, as she moved along the dark, crowded corridor of a damaged Borg vessel. Exhaust blew out from a damaged conduit, as other drones repaired it. After a moment of wandering, she came up to a consol, and tapped its controls with a quick ease.

_"Vessels identified as Federation Starfleet. Designations, U.S.S. Prometheous, Starfleet registration number, NX-59650. Prometheous-class, prototype vessel, and U.S.S. Stargazer, NCC-93693. Galaxy-class. Opening hailing frequencies..."_ Said the Monotone voice of the collective, as the commander hit another button. The screen was split into quarters; the top left quarter, housed an image of the two ships, while the other half of the screen had blinked onto their respective command decks. Captains Fink, and captain Beck both gazed at her in shock.

"We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. We shall add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture shall adapt to service as us. Resistance is futile." Said the distorted voice of the commander.

_'Help me captain! I'm still in here!'_ Shouted the commander, as she tried to scream. She tried to get control of a single muscle in her mouth, to at least utter a single word, or to twitch her cheek but to no avail. The Borg nanites had disabled the nervous pathways from her continues mind to the rest of her body.

_"Commander... Return my first officer now, or we'll open fire on your vessel!"_ Said Captain Fink from the other side of the screen. She could see the pain in his glairing eyes; which was something that she had only seen once come from her captain, as he stared daggers at her... Or, more accurately, what had taken control of her.

"Negative, that unit is now Borg." Said the commander.

_'No I'm not, I'm here!'_ Thought the commander, as she once again tried to move her mouth, and again, she failed, as the nightmare of that horrible day played out once again.

_"Commander... You do not have to feel this again..."_ Came the soothing sound of a calm voice. The commander tried to feel for where it had come from. No one from the transmission had said it, and she knew for a fact that none of the thousands of other voices had spoken like that.

_"I know you can hear me... All you have to do, commander Wriggly, is say the word, and I shall stop them."_ Said the soothing tone once again.

_'Who are you!?'_ She demanded. She herd a slight "hmm" in reply, as she waited, and listened.

_"You are lost commander... Lost and alone. You have struggled to break free, but have lost hope..."_ The calm voice replied. Wriggly felt as though she'd herd that voice somewhere before, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She decided to probe into it further.

_'You didn't answer my question! Who are you!?'_ She asked once again, this time, allowing her rage to ring throughout.

_"You know who I am commander, and right now I am the only one who can take you home."_ Was the voices reply. Beyond her, the dream was still playing out as it always had, but within, she had the feeling, that she was being tempted by something as close to pure evil, as she could imagine.

_"...I want nothing in return for my services, only continued existence."_ Answered the voice when it didn't hear her answer. The commander felt as if heavy weight fall onto her chest, as she herd that last sentence. She felt the sorrow, the sadness, the pain, the loneliness, but most of all, she felt the fear in the voice. A fear that didn't sound like it was for itself, but a grieved longing for the wellbeing of others. For a moment, she wasn't sure if it wasn't her who said it, but realized that she had been more petrified by the sudden intrusion of the voice. So, without further thinking, she answered.

_'Alright... I'll let you. Stop them; Stop Terra Prim!!'_ She shouted. The pain in the voice disappeared, as it replied;

_"As you wish, commander..."_ Then the dream began to fade into darkness.

_"Hmhmhmhmhmmm..."_

Exit Dream

**T E N W E E K S L A T E R**

**Main Control Room, Hypnos Building, 0852 hrs.**

"Sir, I have the _Deadalus_ fleet on long range sensors..." Came Riley from the tracking sphere, as several dozen dots appeared on the screen above. Mr. Yamaki turned away from his conversation with Marcunou as he herd this.

"What's their status? How many ships do they have!?" He asked in an urgent voice. They had already been away for nearly three and a half months without even the slightest message. And the burst of Omega radiation they picked up sometime ago hadn't helped their hopes either.

"Hang on, I'm raising the _Deadalus_ on sub-space now..." She said, as her chair moved to a new position on the other side of the sphere. Both Yamaki, and Marcunou where both becoming impatient with the delay.

"Tally, how many ships do they have with them!?" He shouted, as he pulled out his lighter, and began opening, and closing its lid out of habit. The other young tech worked quickly on her board, as she pulled up the data.

"I'm detecting twenty-four ships with Starfleet signature, one unknown vessel, and-" She suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, as she spook, catching both of the government agents attention.

"And, what? What is it!? What's wrong!?" He asked, as he stopped flicking his lighter. Above, he could see the stunned look on the operator's face under her screen-mask. By now, he had become accustomed enough to it, that most of the time, he was able to just ignore it, but this wasn't the time for him to be ignoring something like _this_.

"Sir... I'm- I'm detecting the _Grani_ craft..." She said in disbelief, as she pulled up her screen and looked up to the larger screen above. Below her, the two government officials, along with all the other personnel in the room where struck speechless, as they all shared her look of disbelief.

"I've established a channel with the _Deadalus_!" Came Riley, breaking the cold stares of most of the crowd.

"Put 'em on my terminal down here!" Shouted the administrator, as he jogged over to his own station. On the screen, the words, "Processing" where displayed, as the transmission was routed.

"It's audio only... I'm patching it through now..." She said. The words disappeared, being replaced with the seal of the Federation, as the voice of captain Kanbara came over the speakers.

_"Hypnos control, this is the _Deadalus_. Do you read us?"_ Said the captain. Yamaki hit the speaker control switch, as he spoke with a type of frank quickness in his voice.

"Captain, what's your statues? We're picking up two non-Starfleet signatures-"

_"It's alright Yamaki; we're bringing a few unexpected _guests_ home with us... I'm uploading all of the fleet's logs, and my senior staff's, along with my ship's logs... Now."_ Came the captain, cutting the administrator off in mid-sentence.

"Data transmission received. Decompressing..." Came Tally from the other side of the sphere screen. Yamaki held back an urge to shout at the young captain to stop this game of his and tell him what was going on, but instead decided that he would off on that until _after_ he'd had a chance to review the log data. But apparently, his superior wasn't going to have the same kind of patients with the officer.

"Captain Kanbara! You will explain to me right now just what the hell is going on! I demand an answer!!" He shouted, as he pushed Yamaki away from the terminal. Silence filled their ears, as the sounds of the all machines in the room did their jobs, decompressing the logs, and sensor data from the _Akira-class_ vessel, as captain Kanbara conversed with his crew.

_"I'm sorry sir, but if I were to explain everything that transpired on the mission over an open, and insecure comm channel, then not only would it take too long, but that would also be a direct breach in Starfleet security protocol. It'll have to wait 'till we get back to port. _Deadalus_ out."_ Said the young captain, as he closed the comm channel. Yamaki let out a low sigh, as he sat back in his chair. Meanwhile, Mr. Marcunou had already begun spun around to face the other side of the room.

"Riley! Get those logs decompressed, and on my desk NOW!!" Shouted Marcunou, as he stomped out of the control room, and out into the corridor beyond. Yamaki felt sorry for anyone who just happened to be in his way, as he watched the older man leave. Above, both of his sphere operators had pulled off their screen masks, and where now staring down at the scene that had just transpired below.

"Well, we better get to work... Riley, what's the fleets ETA?" Yamaki asked, as he stood back up, and walked over to the other side of the room.

"A little over ten hour's sir." She replied as she glanced back into her mask for a split second. Yamaki pulled out his lighter once again, as he began to flick its lid open, and close once again.

"Alright, continue with the decompression, and send it all directly to my office terminal." He said, as he too began for the door, except at a much slower pace then that of his superior. All the while still wondering, what happened aboard the _Deadalus_?

**Captain's Readyroom, USS Stargazer, 1201 hrs.**

"...Computer, end log." Came captain Beck, as he finished recording his daily personal journal. He herd the familiar beep of the computer, as it stopped recording, and prepared the file for whatever he wanted it to do next. Leaning foreword closer toward his monitor, he tapped several controls.

"Computer, save and encrypt personal log under protocol five-five-gamma." He said, as he entered his own personal access code. The terminal beeped, as it followed his orders, and the emblem of the Federation replaced the image of himself. He leaned back, as he spun his chair around to his personal view port. Outside the ship, he could see the Shinjuku shipyards along with several dozen vessels of varying smaller classes. Most dominant of those ships being _Defiant-class­_ vessels. On the other side of the shipyards, he could see the _Phoenix_ busy assisting in the construction of different small stations, and satellites. It had only been a few months since they had been there, and already they had armed this planet to the teeth with their own technology in order to protect it. But, a single, disturbing thought kept running through his head; what would happen to these people _after_ this crisis was over?

_Boo boo boo. Boo boo boo._ Went his terminal. Captain Beck turned back to see what was happening.

"An incoming message without a sender? Not again..." Sighed the young captain, as ran his hand down his tiered face. Over the past several months, they had lost so many people to the xenophobic faction, Earth Prime, which they hadn't really had much time to think about several 'other' things. Tapping the keypad on his consol, he activated the transmission. The emblem of the Federation disappeared; leaving behind the image of the Hypnos administrator appeared before him.

"Yamaki? Now, I didn't expect to see you on the other side of this message." Came the shocked and now curious captain. The executive cracked a slight grin at the captain's confusion.

_"Sorry to disappoint you, would you rather talk to Marcunou?"_ He asked sarcastically. Beck pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about the last he'd talked to the man. He could still hear his condescending attitude reverberating through his ready room.

"Sorry, but I got enough of _that_ the last time I talked to a representative of the Romulin Senate back home..." Retorted the captain, cracking a small grin as he leaned back in his chair. Yamaki didn't share his amusement, as what little of the grin he had a moment ago disappeared.

_"The _Deadalus_ made contact with the Romulin Star Empire a little over two and a half months ago..."_ Came the administrator in a grim tone.

"WHAT!?" Asked Beck, as he shot across his desk, towards the monitor in shock. All the worst-case scenarios began to play out through his mind, as he tried to process this new piece of information.

_"...That's not all captain... They've also recovered several other vessels as well; including your _Enterprise_, and our Grani."_ He continued. By this point, Beck felt as if he was going to drop dead of a stroke just from hearing all of this. He could feel the receptors in his cerebellum firing away, as they tried to process everything that they where receiving. For a moment, the teen captain lost himself in a fury of possibilities, good, and bad. He felt as if someone had taken the whole of the universe, and had begun to churn it all into a nauseating blur.

_"Captain? Dennis!"_ Shouted Yamaki from the other side of the screen, forcing Beck to snap himself out from his self-induced trance.

"Has captain Kanbara transmitted his ships mission logs yet?" He asked, forcing himself to calm down. He lowered himself back into his chair, not taking his hands away from the cool, smooth surface of his desk.

_"Yes they have, and we've already decrypted them. When I talked to the captain, he was a little more than cryptic about what happened... Now I know why."_ Replied the administrator as he trailed off. Beck forcibly relaxed himself, as he wondered about what Yamaki was getting at.

_"I'm having a copy of the _Deadalus'_ mission profile transmitted to you... Now."_ He said, just as the monitor began to beep once again. Beck miniaturized Yamaki's image to a corner of the screen, as he brought up the transmission. After opening the file, and skimming through several of the pages, his eyes widened as something caught his eye.

"I- It can't be..." He muttered, as he read over the enter line carefully, just to make sure that he hadn't missed anything. He felt the blood drain from his face, as realized that what he thought he saw was correct.

_"I'm afraid it is captain... I've already informed Captain Fink about this new development."_ Yamaki said, allowing the calm silence to remain, as the thought. After a moment, Dennis locked his eyes back onto the administrators.

"Mr. Yamaki, Inform the _Phoenix_ about this, and call an emergency session to the provisional Starfleet command counsel. They need to know to what to do next. _Stargazer_, out." Said captain back, as he closed the channel. The picture of Yamaki disappeared, leaving behind the rest of the _Deadalus'_ data. The young captain stared at the logs before him for a long moment before turning towards a single, lone picture standing on the edge of his desk. A crack ran across its surface over the face of a middle-aged El-Aurian woman. A long streak of white hair hung freely over the right side of her face, as she smiled widely. To her left, stood a commander Dennis Beck, and a lieutenant Monodramon, while to her right, stood the rest of the ships original command staff. The young captain ran his hand across its surface, but suddenly pulled back when he felt a slight pick. He felt the warm oozing of blood from the wound on his finger, as he stared the people whom over the short time that he had known them, had come to think of as family.

"It's alright guys... The long night, is almost over." He said, placing the picture back onto the smooth surface. "Tempus fugit."

**Primary Airlock, Shinjuku Shipyards, Earth, 1901 hrs.**

"He better have a damn good explanation _why_ he allowed those other three ships to split from his fleet!" Said Mr. Marcunou, as he stood in front of the main airlock along with captains Fink, Beck, and Nonaka. His subordinate, Yamaki, stood behind the lot, compulsively flicking his lighter open and closed.

"Oh give him a break... After what he and his crew went through, I don't think they need you to criticize them for how they held themselves!" Came captain Nonaka, as she leaned against the bulkhead, her arms crossed. Captain Fink couldn't help but crack a smirk at her comment, not to mention at the official's response.

"You're being too forgiving captain! He lost nearly a _fifth_ of his crew, as well as seven of the derelicts that survived the battle of Haldikar, including a _Sovereign-class_ star-ship! So you'll forgive me if I don't think that he should necessarily be welcomed back with open arms!" Marcunou retorted. The young captain just smirked in reply, as she gave a small chuckle. She locked her eyes with the agent, as she stood back to her full height. Although she was still substantially shorter than the middle-aged man, she was still able to tower over him. Her violet eye's cutting through the steel of his demeanor like dagger made of diamond, as she spat back her reply.

"Your right, there will be... There'll always be a consequence for all of our actions... Some are avoidable, other not, the only thing that we can do about them in the end, is ask ourselves weather or not we can live with them... These things happen, it's only natural. Besides, if there's one thing that our history has thought us, it's that the battles that took place between them and the Romulin's would have happened eventually... The Romulin's are just that volatile of a species." The teen retorted. Marcunou tightened his stance, as he audibly began grinding his teeth together.

"She's right, what the _Deadalus_ crew went through was inevitability. But I _am_ surprised at how the Romulin's were able to respond with so many ships so quickly... I mean, if my knowledge of Ronulin military history is correct, then they should still only be beginning the recovery of their fleet from their war with the Venkari." Came Captain Fink, as he rubbed the bottom of his chin.

"Well I'm not really surprised... I mean, if the Grigari had been searching for this world in order to stop us, then it's only natural that they would have eventually been challenged by the Venkari. After all, the Venkarian Empire _was_ the greatest power this side of the Galaxy after the decline of the Confederated Alliance..." Answered Beck, trailing off as he glanced up to one of the wall monitors to check the time. The _Deadalus_ had only just entered the star system with their fleet less then twenty-minutes ago, and where approaching at one-quarter impulse power, or at only thirty-three hundred kph, so it was taking them a little longer to reach Earth's orbit.

"...And considering their level of technology, commander Pfreg's scout ship would have been more than a match for the entire Venkarian royal war fleet. After all, they where only a type one, level three civilization..." Finished Captain Fink, crossing his arms, as he bowed his head slightly, almost as if he was contemplating something. If he was, then it was something that wasn't all that hard to figure out.

"The Venkari?" Asked Mr. Marcunou, a perplexed look running across his face. The group of commanding officers shot him a startled looks.

"Forget it Marcunou... Either way, they're a race is now extinct..." Replied captain Nonaka grimly. Both Marcunou and Yamaki stared at the group in shock.

"What? How can you be so calm about something like that!? Yamaki asked, pushing past his superior. Captain Nonaka locked her eyes with his as she answered.

"Because Yamaki, the Alpha Quadrant was a completely different place during this era... Those races that had the technology either sought to build their own empires, or just stayed home, and only advanced their boarders once one or more species annihilated each other in war." Replied the young captain, as she shattered her blank stare with the administrator.

"Like the Borg..." Came captain Beck from the front of the group. The group looked up to the young captain, as he returned a cold stare. Ever since the anti-Starfleet insurgents had all but disappeared from half of the North-Eastern hemisphere of the planet, they had been getting sperattic reports of hellish, machine-like creatures appearing out of nowhere, and kidnapping people by the hundreds. Creatures that according to their reports resembled that one felled race. The group remained silent for several moments, each lost in their own thoughts. Some reminiscing with each of their encounters with the race known as: _"The consumers of worlds."_ Others, about what they had seen in the recent months since the launching of the _Deadalus_, and the disappearance of captain Fink's first officer. After a few moments of silence, a loud whistle came over the stations comm.;

_Ew wee yu. "All airlock stations, UTS Deadalus is preparing for dry-dock. Maintenance stations, prepare for magnetic locking procedures."_ Came the voice of the dock master, as a low rumble could be herd beyond the hatch, as gasses from the ships maneuvering thrusters bounced off the stations hull. After a few moments, the airlock rocked, as the sound of metal, scraping against metal reverberated throughout the small area, followed by the electric sound of a magnetic lock forming an air-tight seal around the other side of the massive twin doors. After another moment of waiting, a small access panel beside the lock lit up in a green hue, signaling to the group that the port beyond was pressurized. All moving into standing positions, they waited, as they herd the clanking of the hatches behind the locked doors release, as well as several foot steps. As the unseen sounds halted just in front of the hatch, the lock on the double doors clicked.

"What the-" Stammered Marcunou, as he laid his eyes on the small group that stood on the other side of the lock. Particularly at the tall, Vulcan woman who had a slightly greener-tinted completion than he was used too that stood on the other side of the hatchway. The captain crossed his arms as he watched his reaction.

"Well well well, look at scrap metal the cat dragged in..." Rika said as she spotted commander Andromon standing towards the rear of the group.

"Permission to come aboard, captain?" Asked captain Flamon, ignoring her jab at his situation. Rika grinned dryly at his bluntness, but still tilted her head slightly to one side.

"Granted captain. And judging by the way you skipped the come back, I'd say you've got something important ta' talk about..." She said in a matter-of-fact tone. The grin on Flamon's face disappeared, as he took a deep breath.

"There is... Captain Beck, there's some one aboard the _Enterprise_ I think you may want to see..." Replied the captain as he turned towards the other commander. Dennis shot him a look of confusion, as he snapped to attention.

"What?" He asked, not sure who they could have _possibly_ run into out there... Just then, captain Picard stepped through the hatchway, moving a few steps toward the young captain.

"Dennis, just before we where thrown into this universe, we received a refugee from Starbase 76... Captain, its empress Belshka."

**Starfleet Detention Center, Earth, 1901 hrs.**

The Temperature changed in the holding cell once again, as the ultimate-level Digimon sat, chained, to a single chair. It had been so very long since the virus-type had seen the outside. Time was something that was completely ambiguous in there. There wasn't any indication of day, nor night, and the number of guards always remained constant. Before, she had thought that she'd found a pattern in the environmental systems; the change in temperature always constant... But even that had become evidently erratic. The doors parted, permitting a single officer into the room; the beginning of her timely briefing no doubt.

"How are you doing this morning? Ready to talk?" Came the voice of the captain. The Digimon turned her head towards him, detecting something in his voice that was, different from usual.

"What do you think, captain... Everything in here sucks! Even your food rations!" She retorted. The captain gave a smirk, as he replied:

"Yeah, those aren't rations, that's hospital food from the mess hall; it's what we all eat here..." Replied the captain with a slightly sadistic grin plastered on his face. The Ultimate-level Digimon laughed as she tried to pull her arms free of her restraints.

"Oh, your loving this, aren't you captain? Seeing me in here shriveling away into nothing, while you stand out there with your replicater's, and transporters, and starships!" She said, the rattling of her chains becoming louder. The grin disappeared from the commander's face, as he watched her struggle.

"It doesn't have to be like this... We remove your restraints; give you your own private food dispenser-"

"What the hell good is that!? No matter what you do, where you put me, or what ever I get, I'll still be a prisoner! Your prisoner!" She said, her pull on her restraints gaining strength. Seeing this, the captain took another step toward the forcefield.

"That's only _if_ you prove us right in not trusting you! Besides, you can live your life the way _you_ want! There are other ways to take out your frustration, your need to forget whatever it was that happened to you in the pa-"

"What the hell do you know my past? Huh!?" She screamed, the struggle with her chains slicing deep gashes through her armor, crimson blood beginning to seep out from the wounds.

" Do you know what it's like, to only be able to live day by day- Minute by minute not knowing if you're gonna survive to see tomorrow!?" The titanium braces groaned and warped, as her struggle to free herself gain strength. The guards moved to stop her, but the captain raised his hand, signaling them to wait, as he continued to watch.

"Do you know what it's like to loose everyone, and everything close to you!?" She howled; her chains snapped, and she collapsed to the floor of the cell, sobbing. The captain looked down at her, feeling a tinge of something that he hadn't felt in so long... Extending his hand, he lowered the field, and stepped inside. Kneeling in front of the virus-type, he caught her in a soft embrace. Her crying stopped, as she realized what was happening...

"Yes, I do. I know what it's like to loose everything... My home, my mother, my father Even, my twin brother." He whispered in a calming voice. The rage that the ultimate-level Digimon had felt burning through her only a moment before, had disappeared, replaced by something that she had never felt before... It was, strange to fell this- this totally knew sensation. It felt, soothing to her. So much so, that she wished that it would never end, so she returned the embrace.

"As long as I live, and as long you promise to do the same. As a Starfleet officer, I promise to give you a safe-haven; a place to call home... Ladydevimon."

**Akiyama Residence, West Shinjuku, 2207 hrs.**

"Dad, um home!" Shouted Lieutenant Ryo Akiyama, as both he, and his partner, ensign Monodramon, walked through the door to the small apartment. Ryo's father was sitting on the couch situated on the other side of the room, thumbing through a PADD, scarcely looking up to see him.

"I thought you said that you'd be running late tonight?" He asked, as he set the device down on the coffee table in front of him. Ryo rolled his eyes at him, as he kneeled down to get off his boots.

"We where able to complete the installation of the dynometric warp-field converters early... Partly because Commander Barkley was called over to the San Diego Shipyards." He said, half-snickering at his commanding officer's quarks. His father however, didn't pay any attention to it, as he got off of the couch. Walking into the small apartment's side kitchen, he opened one of the cabinet's and with a slight metallic hum, pulled out a mug filled with muggy, olive-green water.

"Have you found out the expiration date of your first assignment yet?" He asked, placing the steaming mug on the counter-top. Ryo let out a sigh, as he leaned against the doorway. Monodramon meanwhile, was already busy raiding through the food menu on their replicater's control screen. Only pausing when he realized that neither of them where talking again.

"I thought we went over this already... I'm not leaving Starfleet; I'm not running away." Said the young lieutenant. His father meanwhile, crossed his arms at his answer.

"Ryo, how many times do I have to tell you, this isn't the time to be worrying about things like honor...? This is a dangerous place; we should leave while we have the chance-"

"And go where?! Dad, I was born on this world! It's my home; I just can't abandon it now! Not when I _know_ that I can win!" He said, taking on a rigid stance in his attempt to convince his father. All of his life, they have been forced to run so far, never staying in one place for long. Then, the accident happened...

"Out there, Ryo... We have the chance, now that Starfleet's here, this world has everything it needs to survive, and we have all of the necessary resources to leave!" His father pleaded. Ryo however, wasn't buying it.

"Resources my ass! What the hell ever happened to the multi-phasic resonator!? If you really wanted to leave, then we would've done that a long time ago!" He shouted. Shocked by what he had just herd, his father took a step back in surprise; eyeing him suspiciously.

"How do you know about that?" He managed to ask hoarsely, recovering only slightly... Ryo felt his breath hitch as he realized what he had just said. It was true, that he had known all about his father's escape plan for some time, but he had never revealed it before.

"Tempus fugit Dad." He said his face growing stotic. "I can't tell you... At least, not yet." His posture relaxed almost into a slouch, as a moment of deafening silence clouded the air. Neither of the two spoke. Just as Monodramon was about to break the uncomfortable silence, each of their commbadges chirped. Ryo tapped his lightly, as he turned his gaze out towards the other room.

"Akiyama, go ahead." He said.

_"Lieutenant, your needed aboard the _Kaless_, lieutenant Rassor's having trouble realigning the warp-cores magnetic interlock stabilizers. Bring Monodramon with you."_ Came the voice of Commander Barkley. Ryo felt relief flow throughout his body at the request.

"Acknowledged. Akiyama out." He said, tapping commbadge to close the signal. He looked back to his Dad, a frown freezing around his face.

"I'm sorry Dad, but we have to go... Ensign." He said, as he walked out of the kitchen, Monodramon hesitated for a moment, glancing over to Ryo's father, before following him as well. After listening to the door as it latched shut, his father looked down at his mug. The liquid inside had lost its heat moments ago, but still, out of habit, he picked it up, and stared at its contents.

"No son, _I'm_ sorry... For making you look back for so long... For making you forget..." He took a sip of the cooled liquid, swallowing it quickly before the bitter taste forced him to spit it back out...

"About your mother."

**O N E W E E K L A T E R**

**Main Engineering, USS Enterprise, 2021 hrs.**

"How's that test coming along?" Asked lieutenant commander Gordi LaForge, as he stepped up beside the consol where Naomi was working. She looked up at the commander; the implants in his eyes spun, as he adjusted the spectrum frequency back into normal light mode. She hadn't really known the commander for very long, not even a year, but already she knew what each rotation in his optical implants meant. When she first met him, she couldn't understand why he just didn't get rid of his original, defective eyes, and have an artificial set installed in their place. But now...

"Not too good..." She said, shaking her head.

"So far, the only thing that I've been able to confirm is that the Tamer who used to own this thing was humanoid, though I can't pin down the species... And I still can't figure out who the partner Digimon was, or even it's class... And the quantum scan just didn't make _any_ sense what so ever!" Replied Naomi, pinching the bridge of her nose, forcing a frown to spread across the engineers face.

"Hmm... Have you tried using the new Hypnos program?" The commander asked, tapping a few commands into the terminal. She felt a stinging pain in her left arm, no doubt a malfunctioning pain receptor again. She made a mental note to talk to Doctor Selar about it later.

"With seven different algorithmic variations... I don't know how the Director Zaquar did it, but I'm sure I've tried enough patterns to confuse even the most narcissistic Q!" Said the young Tamer, as she rubbed her left arm. She'd felt some of the pain receptors go off a few minutes ago as well, and she had been temped to step out for a moment to give it a break, and by the way she saw her superior's expression relax, he must have noticed.

"Hey, are you okay Naomi? You know, your looking pretty rough." Said commander LaForge; Naomi looked back down at her consol.

"I'm fine... Just annoyed." Replied the young officer, as she tapped in a few different commands. Frowning, the engineer placed his PADD onto the smooth surface of the terminal, while he leaned in on its edge.

"What?" She asked, noticing Gordi's suspicious look.

"Naomi, when was the last time you slept?" Asked the engineer. Naomi looked down at the panel.

"I'm fine Gordi-"

"I'll call doctor Selar if I have to-"

"I said I'm fine!" Shouted the operations officer, as she slapped the consol in front of her. All of engineering turned deadly quiet, as everyone looked at the two officers. Naomi looked away from the engineer.

"Sorry..." She muttered. She heard the rest of engineering resume its normal buzzing of motion, as she felt the pressure of the commander's hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe it would be a good idea if you took the rest of the day off?" Said the commander. Naomi stood up, and turned to the engineer.

"Maybe your right... Maybe I'll take this time to take Calumon down the holodeck." She replied. She saw a wan smile spread across the commander's chocolate-colored face.

"That's not too bad an idea..." Replied the engineer. She returned the smile. As she was about to leave, she heard the beeping of the consol where she'd been working.

_Beep, beep. "Analysis complete. Digitonic signature identified."_ Replied the computer. The two officers starred at the computer in confusion. Naomi dismissed the thought for a moment, as she looked at the screen.

"What the- Computer, display results." She said, as she sat back down. She read the condensed binary data, as it scrolled by. She didn't recognize any of the patterns as they went by. And apparently, neither did commander LaForge. They looked at each other queryingly.

"Computer, exactly what are we looking at?" Asked Gordi.

_Ber, ber. "The route data code of the Digimon currently connected to this D-Ark."_ Promptly replied the computer. Naomi starred at the coding for a long moment.

"Computer, render and display a picture of this Digimon." Said the young officer, as she began tapping in commands to her consol.

_Ber, ber. "Unable to comply. This Digimon is not within the D-Ark-analyzer database."_ Replied the computer. The two officers looked at each other for a long moment, before the computer responded again.

_Ber, ber. "D-Ark access-override granted."_ Came the computer.

"_What_!?" Snapped both Naomi, and LaForge, as they looked at the screen. The entire row of wall set panels began to flicker, as the small digivice began to take over all of the systems functions. Commander LaForge ran the diagnostic table at the center of the entrance way, as he began shouting orders to his staff.

"I'm trying to disconnect the D-Ark!" Said Naomi, as she manipulated the controls on the flickering consol at dizzying speeds. She looked up at his screen, and watched as gigaquads of information began uploading from the digivice.

_Ber ber. "Warning, magnetic interlock stabilizers depolarizing. Anti-matter containment breach imminent."_ Came the voice of the main computer, as a power surge caused the one of the few remaining pieces of Borg technology to explode. Commander Wildman worked the surface of the panel quickly, as she attempted to stabilize the connection between the digivice, and the main computer. Behind her, she could hear Geordi shouting something to her, but she didn't quite notice it the first time...

"Commander, pull it!" Shouted commander LaForge again. Naomi looked over her shoulder to the engineer.

"What!?" She asked. LaForge looked up from the table. He glared at her with his implants.

"I said disconnect the digivice!" He shouted. Naomi looked over the little blue device sitting on the edge of the consol next to her. She grabbed for the magnetic patch cable, witch too, was flickering madly, as enough electricity was flowing through to power a warp core. As she grabbed the cable, she could feel the heat searing at the flesh of her hand, as she held on. The burning aroma of cooked meat filled the commander's nose, as an explosion suddenly rang out from across the bay, tossing an engineer into an opposing workstation, and watched as the flesh on his face turned crisp. She snapped away from the sight; she had more important things to worry about. She looked back down at the device, and gave the cord the beginning tug of what was sure to become a tug of war... Then without any resistance at all, the magnetic seal released. Instantly, the computer system returned to normal, as well as the rest of the bay.

_Ber ber. "Magnetic interlock stabilizers returning to normal polarization. Warp-core breach averted. Warp-core off-line."_ Came the calm voice of the computer as the heart of the ship began to shut down. She breathed a sigh of relief as she slumped back into her chair. After a short second, the picture of a chevron star identical to the one that Starfleet used appeared on the screen. Naomi looked up at its black surface, studying the emblem. The image was different with this one, was that it was horizontal, not vertical, and it had an inverted shadow trailing it. The emblem looked oddly familiar, almost as if it were something she should already know. The screen blinked away from the picture of the emblem, replacing it with the face of a beautiful, raven-haired woman, wearing a primarily black uniform, with a red strip stretching down, horizontally across the left side of her shoulder. After a moment of just starring at her, the woman smiled, and said;

_"Hello... And, I'm sorry... For tempus fugit."_ And disappeared, being replaced with an unfamiliar LCARS OS display.

**Unknown Place, Unknown Time.**

Darkness... It stretched as far as she could see. At first she thought she was dead. She remembered the destruction of her ship... The death of her entire crew... But the last time she died, she had ended up in the Q continuum...

_"Where am I"_ She said, as she turned her head, desperately looking for something. Anything to tell her that she was still alive. But, there was nothing.

_"Maybe I really am dead... Maybe this is hell."_ She thought, as she stopped looking. She looked down at her body, and saw that she was still wearing her uniform. But now, all the damage that had been done to it during her fight was gone. She felt a shift, almost as if a breeze had just passed her. She grinned lazily.

_"Maybe I'm not dead after all... Maybe, this is just like 'that time'."_ She said, as she thought back; farther back then even the oldest Q would be able to remember.

_"But, if this really is like then why is it taking so long for the shockwave to reach me?"_ She thought, as she remembered the last time she had experienced this kind of feeling. She thought back to her family. How they had died with the rest of her people. She thought it ironic that her people where now extinct, but that they had also found a way back into existence... The space around her shimmered, as it began to change its color. Bits of matter, and strings, the building blocks of matter, began to form. But, something was different with this kind of string. It danced in a way that was too formal for something that had only _just_ formed... No, it danced in a way that was both formal, and beautiful. Not raw and erratic like most. And the fact that it was connected, not open ended, meant that either, it had evolved billions of years in the span of seconds, or that it was almost as ancient as she was.

_'Woorwararwwowooowhwohwohww...'_ Came a voice from the direction of the string she was looking at. She moved herself closer to the object, and saw more, and more strings appear. She watched them for a second, as they danced to their eternal music. She saw thousands of different colors, as she moved closer through the strings. She began hearing sounds... Familiar sounds... The sounds of life.

_"Cu- Could this be?"_ She said, as she moved farther beyond the strings. They began to grow smaller, as they began to gather, and take on more familiar spherical shapes, as she moved farther, and farther away. She continued to move, until she saw what was happening. She watched the bright blue hue of electrons, as they moved far more quickly then the surrounding particles. It was then that she realized, that she wasn't just anywhere, she was just in a totally different, yet at the same time familiar, dimension.

_"I don't believe it... It actually worked!"_ She thought, as she looked around the area she was in, and saw in the distance, that there was a small hole in the darkness. A tunnel that extended into the vast abyss. She watched as two blue streams of light flowed both ways through the tunnel. She maneuvered herself close to the tunnel, and looked into the light. As she looked closely, she saw that all of the light that was flowing through actually had small breaks in it. She realized that she was looking at a flowing stream of digital information. But not just any kind of data... No, this data had a Starfleet signature. She looked around the area, looking for a way to access the data streams. She touched a line of still data, causing it to twitch. After a few moments of shifting, and mixing the lines of coding, she finally saw the patterns to their codes, and so began manipulating the streams. Both of the data streams began moving faster, and faster through the tunnel, as more, and more data flowed through them. She turned herself towards the streams, as they both flowed at incredible speeds. The tunnel looked as if it was about to collapse under the shear force of the data stream, as they continued to expand. She gulped, as she maneuvered herself close to the flowing stream of data particles.

_"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!"_ She screamed, as she felt the force of the data stream pull, and stretch her very being, as she traveled along the path of the link. Instead of thinking about the pain, she focused on the faces of her crew... All of her previous crews. The faces of so many people flowed through her head. Humans, Vulcan's, Andorian's, Digimon, Q, Voth, Hirogen, Bajoran's, Jem'Hadar, even Grigari, they all meant something to her. She had fought so long to protect them. Even as they fought so hard to kill her. The intensity of the steam faded, as she was tossed out of the tunnel. Ignoring the soreness pulsing throughout her body, she looked around the new place she in. The candy blue hue of data as it flowed around her brought back memories of past and long forgotten times. She spotted several gigantic pillars flowing out into the darkness. As she looked to where the pillars were stretching out to, she spotted a bright orange dot in the distance.

_"That must be the terminal..."_ She said to herself, as she moved herself closer to the screen. Time seemed to speed up, as she made her way to the dot. As she slowed down, she saw that it was square in shape. It glowed orange, and blue, and she could hear the screams of people beyond its horizon. She looked out, and watched as dozens of people wearing black suits ran in every which way around the room beyond. She watched as they struggled to help each other... As they put out the fires that had begun to burn, and to carry out the blood-soaked survivors.

_"My god... What have I done!?"_ She thought, as she watched the horror scene beyond. Memories of death, and pain rose to the surface of her mind, but she ignored them, as she noticed a girl. A young-faced, blond girl, with several small horns poking out in a vertical line on her forehead. She held the steaming white-silver wire in her hands, as she huffed heavily. She glanced up to the screen, and raised her right eyebrow queryingly as she looked at her.

_"She reminds me so much of someone I used to know..."_ She thought, as she couldn't help the light smile that had found its way to her face. She glanced around the outside room, as she thought about what she should do next...

**Main Sickbay, USS Prometheous, 1153 hrs.**

_"Chief medical officer's personal log, stardate: Unknown. It's been over two and a half moths since we first arrived in this universe, and so far, it's been anything but quite. We've had a steady stream of casualties thanks to the Earth Prime resistance. At least their attacks have slowed down lately; I don't think my medical staff would have been able to keep their sanity had we been forced to deal with so many civilians being beamed in for emergency care..."_ The Doctor stopped for a moment as he replayed his last sentence over again... Had he been an organic being, he would have felt a pang of regret force his stomach to churn. He had taken the upgrades that his creator, Doctor Zimmerman, had created for him, as well as the other E.M.H.'s, but he was thankful that he had the ability to turn them on and off as he pleased... He tapped a key again, as he continued.

_"We've finally been able to get the last of the patients in critical care out of shuttle bay three... If only it had been under better circumstances-"_ The Doctor paused, as he herd the doors to his sickbay open. He looked up to see lieutenant Akyama standing in front of the doors.

"Computer, end log." He said. The image of his recording disappeared from the screen, as he looked back up to the lieutenant.

"Okay lieutenant, what did you do this time?" He asked. The young officer gave him a smirk, as he arched an eyebrow.

"What makes you think that I came here for treatment?" Replied the lieutenant. This time it was the Doctor's turn to smirk.

"Well, you can't be here to visit ensign T'shosh, since it's not Monday, Tuesday, Friday or Saturday; your not holding a PADD so mister Barkley couldn't have sent you down with another set of his recorded symptoms, and I can't find any record in my memory files of me calling you down, so that only leaves one last option..." Said the Doctor, as he walked over to one of the instrument trays, and opened a tricorder. The lieutenant however just leaned in against the wall, his hands resting behind his head.

"As logical as any Vulcan... And as any Human, Um trownin' it all out the airlock." He retorted. The Doctor let out a small chuckle, as he turned back to face him. It was true that a little routine had developed since the ensign had first arrived in his sickbay, but that was out of nicety. Between the unrest planet-side, the constant work that needed to be done to arm the ship with the _Phoenix's_ weapons, pouring over the mission data, and the hypochondriac they had for a Chief Engineer, they'd all been kept busy.

"Then, what are you here for?" He asked. Again, the young lieutenant looked him square in the eye, and smirked.

"I've got it." He said simply. This time, it was the Doctor's turn to arch an eye brow.

"What?" He said dumbfounded. The smirk on the lieutenant's face widened into a full-out grin, as he moved over to one of the wall-mounted panels. With the tap of a few buttons, he had brought up a file that the Doctor hadn't seen before. All of the information that was being displayed was in standard Starfleet programming language, but it was raw, and unencoded.

"I was down in Main Engineering, running through the data packets that we purged from the _Enterprise_ sensor buffers, when I came across this..." He said, as he condensed the data into a frequency matrix. The Doctor thought that it looked familiar, but he just couldn't place where he'd seen it. Just as he was about to say something about it, the lieutenant's had twitched, bringing up two other sets of data...

"This is one of the logs that we got from the _Deadalus_, and this is the one I got from the transporter room..." He said, as he condensed them too. The Doctor felt his eye's widen, as he looked the three sets over, and over again.

"My god, they're identical! Buh- But what could they have been caused buy?!" He asked, as he pointed to the screen in shock. The lieutenant's grin softened, almost in a disturbingly sad way. The Doctor didn't like where this was conversation was heading, but if it meant keeping at least one more struggling patient from slipping away, then he was willing to accept what ever the cost was...

"That's the thing... I spent all of yesterday, and most of this morning looking for just that reason... To be honest, I think I may have even questioned whether or not T'shosh could've been saved," He began to say, but the Doctor could see that there was something that was holding him physically back, almost as if, he fighting back tears... A dim clamping sound could be heard, as he continued.

"That's just about the moment when commander Barkley asked me to help him monitor the power output reading from the Orb that the _Deadalus_ brought back from Halldikar..." He said, as his hand once again began to dance across the consoles controls. After a moment, another DataStream began to filter through, and to the Doctor's surprise, he was able to recognize the code fragments as they flew by. Had he had his bio-synthesis software running, he knew that he would be feeling his his pulse and his blood pressure hitch skyward, as well as the rush of simulated neural transmitters firing off, as he realized what exactly he was looking at.

"That... Can't be!" He muttered, taking a few steps closer in a subconscious attempt to get a better look. Before the Doctor's reaction could even register, Ryo had already finished the condensing of the stream into something recognizable... A wan smile softened the lieutenant's face, as he unclenched his jaw.

"No matter how hard we try, every mystery we encounter, we'll always find the answer standing right beside us..." He said. The Doctor snapped himself away from his musings at what he had herd the young teen say.

"Lieutenant...?" He asked. This time, it was Ryo's turn to snap back from the Doctor's prodding.

"Sorry Doctor, it's something that my mother used to say to me..." He said, the distant look returning to eyes for a split second. Had it been anyone else, that flash of uncharacteristic emotional control would have gone unnoticed. Whether it was because the Doctor was programming, or because of the amount of time that the two had spent over the past months trying to help the ensign, the Doctor wasn't really sure. But he did know when something was bothering one of his crewmates... Especially, his friends.

"What's wrong Ryo?" He asked outright, catching the lieutenant off-guard. Ryo eyed him suspiciously for a split-seconded before replying;

"Um fine Doc; really!" He said, plastering a wide grin across his face, as he rubbed the back of his neck. The Doctor knew when someone was lying through their teeth, but he decided to ignore it for the time being... Right now, they had an ensign to save.

"...Anyway, after I realized what exactly I was looking at, I just simply put two and two together and-"

"-Found exactly what's been causing every treatment we've tried to be ineffective!" Finished the Doctor. The lieutenant let out another bemused chuckle, as he turned back towards the ensign.

"Now, all that we have to do... Is wake her-" The deck rumbled beneath them, as the red-alert klaxons began blaring. The Doctor sent the lieutenant a quizzical glance, as the voice of the ship's second officer cam over the comm.

_Boo boop. "Red alert! All hands report to stations!"_ With that, the lieutenant gave the Doctor a court nod, as he quickly turned, and ran for the main diagnostic consol. Quirking a brow, the Doctor watched, as his hands glided across its surface.

"Lieutenant?" He asked. Ryo glanced up from the consol, the nearly vacant look returned again for a split second as he said;

"I'm heading down to control to help secure it's shielding... I have a feeling they're gonna need it. You get to work on analyzing the particle stream as soon as holographically possible!" The Doctor gave a curt nod of agreement, as the whine of the transporter filled the room.

**Earth Prime Resistance Cell 277, 1205 hrs.**

_"An anomalous energy signature has been detected in orbital sector four-four-one. Activate."_ Came the monotone voice of the small collective. Several drones stepped out of their alcoves, as they moved to several terminals that lined the walls of the darkened cavern. Meanwhile, at the center of the chamber stood an enclosed capsule. As the drones moved about the small, concrete room, the black tube began to shift.

"Disregarded, whatever the disturbance is, it isn't of any concern to us..." Came the calm voice of the creature within the cylinder. As the young woman stepped out, the drones stopped working for a quick moment, as a holographic screen appeared before the young woman. On it, the image of several silver and white structures floated about in the black, starry background. Within seconds the screen flickered as it magnified to a higher resolution, revealing the bright blue hue of dry warp-plasma, as it either vented out into empty space, or created static feedback along the shell of its nacelle housing.

"Locutus... What are doing up there? Don't tell me you're trying to find me..." She said in amusement, as she watched the image they had tapped into from one of the orbital satellites. She watched as the Sovereign-class starship began moving out from the docks skeleton in an attempt to save the yard.

_"_Enterprise _warpcore containment failure in twenty seconds..."_ Came the monotone voice of the collective. While it had been almost a month since they had begun the reconstruction of the collective, most of the drones they had created where still going through the final stages of the assimilation process. Even though it only took less a few moments after infection for all of the base control implants to be constructed and take control, they still had to construct all of the necessary tools, and equipment from scratch. Never the less, they had adapted to their circumstances, and where almost ready.

"Something's not right up there..." Came a deep voice from behind her. The Queen didn't look to see who it was, because she already knew. It had been him who given her the resources to build her new collective... At a price. Nodding in agreement, she glanced over to one of her maintenance drones, and said:

"Activate neural transceiver, theta-00586-A-3." She said. The image on the screen shifted from their hijacked signal, to the innerness of the _Enterprises_ primary engineering center. The young woman tilted her head slightly, as she watched the happenings on the screen. Ever since the Federation Flagship had reach earth, they had devoted almost all of their resources to breaking the encryption sequence that commander Data had encoded into what remaining Borg technology they couldn't remove, or decided that they didn't have to remove from the only time they had attempted to assimilate that vessel; but in the end, they were able to successfully adapt. However, she still didn't trust the one whom had given them that ability. A plasma relay overloaded on the screen, forcing the young woman to return her thought back to the events that where unfolding on the screen.

_"Naomi, disconnect it!"_ Shouted the unit known as lieutenant commander LaForge to the young officer standing in front of the consol, where she could see gigaquads of data was being uploaded faster than even she could process. The familiar girl stared at the panel, mesmerized by what she was seeing. It remained the young woman of when she too was that age; before she had taken control... Before she had lost her original body...

_"Commander, pull it!"_ Shouted the commander once again. Snapping away from her trance, the young girl snapped her head to glair over her shoulder at the engineer. She wasn't sure, but there was something about the look in her eyes that didn't seem right. Almost as if, she had something in mind that she couldn't yet see...

_'Confused, oh great Queen?'_ Came that annoying voice again. Really, it was becoming a bother to her to deal with the remnants of her current host so haphazardly like this.

_"I suppose you could say that... I don't understand that look."_

_'You- Queen of all Borg- The beginning, and the end of the collective, can't understand something? Now that's not like you...'_ Replied the voice. The Queen could feel the sarcasm dripping from her tone. But she did have to admit, it was ironic that, for the moment, she had to rely on something other than assimilation in order to understand what was a mystery for her. Never the less, she couldn't let her other occupant to know that.

_"It doesn't matter... I'll know exactly what she was thinking... Once we are ready-"_

_'Good luck trying, you'll need it if your gonna go after her.'_ The voice retorted. Another feeling of curiosity struck throughout the Queen at what she had just herd. Behind her, she could hear a growl emanated from the creature, as the pair continued to watch the events unfold on the display.

_"What do you mean?"_ She asked. She could feel the voice within her snickering again, yet another common annoyance, before she replied.

_'You really don't recognize her? Now _that's_ a surprise! After all, from her point of view, you've been chasing her, her whole life!'_ Said the voice, like a snake, pouncing on its prey. Before the Queen had even noticed, all of the commotion that was happening on her personal screen stopped, as the screen deactivated. She snapped her head in no particular direction, as she silently whispered into the minds of her drones her newest orders.

"We will comply." Answered several of her drones, as they quickly set off on their tasks. She then turned towards one of the only completely functional consol systems in bunker. Within seconds, the screen began scrolling through what was left of her fragmented memories. She could feel the voice of her host watching her, attacking her every action, as she looked throughout her most recent memories from before she had lost her collective, only replying to interject to her host's arguments... The attacks had become more and more serious as of late. Any normal human would have gone insane by now, but to her, it was really nothing more than a nice little change of pace...

"Looking for something?" Came an unfamiliar voice. Shocked, both the Queen, as well as her host stopped their arguments, as she slowly turned to see the form of a relatively young humanoid woman.

"You! Ha- So...That's how you escaped. Very creative... _Captain_ Oich." Came the deep voice of the creature, as both the Queen, and the other consciousness watched the exchange with curiosity.

"And you, you've redecorated..." Replied the young woman. "I don't like it." A dark grin appeared on her allies face; obviously, he had just come up with a plan... One that involved her- Or, more accurately, her resources.

"I suppose that's what I get for not hiring someone to do it for me." He retorted. Captain Oich cracked a dark smile of her own, as she herd a chuckle reverberate throughout the cavern.

"Tempus fugit old friend. Maybe I should lend you a hand!" And with the extending of her arm, the Queen was knocked off her feet. After a moment, she regained her senses; the voices of her drones washed over her, as she discovered what she had done... Starfleet was coming.

**Deck 6, Section 4, Captain's Quarters, USS Stargazer, 1331 hrs.**

The dim lights of the room spread a grim shadow across the deck, as two people, a young, reptilian woman, and a humanoid Starfleet officer sat in silence. The dark-green scales of the woman's face glowed darkly, as she finished reciting her journey.

"My God... Ah- I can't believe your brother would do such a thing!" Came the young officer, covering his mouth as if he were ready to vomit. The young woman looked at her battered and scarred hands, holding back tears.

"It's alright Dawn, he died believing in what he thought was right-"

"No Bell, it isn't! He tried to _kill_ you! He- He betrayed you, and Cheq, and Gerolizch and the rest of your peop-"

"-What he did was inexcusable, yes... But his preceding actions, his logic behind them... It was flawless! All of it..." She spoke softly, as if any firmness in her voice might cause the young human to break. Captain Beck looked into her eyes, and watched, as a single tear began to fall down her cheek. She had been through a lot in the past few years. Lost her homeworld, exiled from her people, being forced to run so far ahead of her own kin...

"It must have been hell," He said. The young woman looked back to the officer, the sad look extending away from herself, as she watched.

"...To be forced to run from the ruins of your home, to lose all that was dear to you, to not be able to shed a single tear for those whom your people slaughter, even as their screams burn through the endless night..." Continued the young woman. She lowered her head once again, as the sounds of the bloodbath haunted her. Seeing this, Dennis reached out, grabbing the young woman's hand as he spoke.

"It's not your fault. And to an extent, its not that of your people's either-"

"But it is! My people are outcasts! We where abandoned by the Voth, just because we chose to follow the teachings of Old Doctrine... Of what we thought was the original, unmodified Doctrine! And even then, my people _still_ chose to worship Old Doctrine in the same manner as New Doctrine!" She cried the tears that she had been fighting back, now falling freely. Beck wiped away some of the tears, as he brushed a piece of her raise collar out from her face.

"Belshka... Hmp... Up until about three hundred years ago, religion reigned as the deciding force in every fractured society on my world. Even now, on that planet circling below you... The human's down their are also going through that very same era of enlightenment, and transition." He said, looking out the view port at the beautiful, blue, green, and white, cloud-covered orb spin below them, in it's eternal stellar dance. Belshka looked out the port herself, as she saw the legend of her people. When the young empress had first awoken, and told where she was; the very first thing that she asked for after speaking to Captain Picard, and Mr. Marcunou, was to go to the nearest planet-side view-port. So, they took her to mess hall, and there, she stared in wonder at the planet below.

"The world of distant origin. Such a beautiful place... And for it to have given birth to two space-faring spices..." She said, as she got lost in the sight before her. That time that captain Beck had set foot on her homeworld; breathed it's air, and felt it's soil... It had been astounding, to say the least. That world had been selected by her people, not as a permanent home, but as a place to prosper. And that, for many generations, they did... But it still wasn't home to them; they still longed to return to their homes... To their Distant Origins.

"The stone, and the spark..." Whispered the young captain. Belshka eyed him quizzically, as he stared off into the distance.

"What...?" She asked in confusion. Beck cracked a wan smile, as she took a deep breath.

"It's from something that I read..." Said the captain. "In the Federation, there's this people called the Bajoran's, whom have developed a "unique" view of science, and religion..." He paused, looking over to his desk; at one of the pictures that sat turned back-wards away from his seat. Feeling the young monarch's eyes on his back, he continued.

"...According to Memory Alpha, Starfleet's primary data library, one of the most," The words that he interesting, quotes that they interoperate, is what's called the "_Eighth Song of the Prophets_"... But really, it's more of a poem; "_In one hand holds the stone, the other the spark. To make a fire, they must come together_"." He said, his wan smile fading, as he became even further lost in thought. Belshka's quizzical look faded as she realized what he was saying. It wasn't that in order for a society to move on they must first cast out all baseless faith, and only embrace logic; it meant that blind faith without logic was dangerous, and that blind logic, with imagination or a belief that an idea can succeed, was pointless...

"I know... Even if the Voth don't want to admit it, this is the place where they too came from... After all of this, we are still all the same; Humans, Voth, Grigari... We're all the same, we're all-" The ship rumbled beneath them. A split-second-later, the ship's acting first officer, lieutenant commander Monodramon, popped in over the comm.

_Boo boop. "Red alert! All hands to battle-stations!"_ He said. Captain Beck gave Empress Belshka a firm nod as he stood.

"Tempus fugit." He said.

"Tempus fugit... Unfortunately." She replied, making a B-line to the door. The young captain tapped his commbadge as he followed her into the corridor.

"Beck to bridge, I'm on my way."

**Starfleet Detention Center, Earth, 1344 hrs.**

"I can't believe that your actually placing your trust in that bitch, Gene!" Came captain Nonaka, as she and captain Fink strolled through the grey corridors. While it was true that the young captain didn't yet fully trust the virus-type Digimon fully, he had seen something in her eyes...

"I know Rika, but I truly think that she's being honest with us." Said Fink. The other captain huffed as she shook her head.

"She attacked the downtown area, and was partially responsible for your first officers kidnapping!" Retorted Rika. Gene slowed to a stop; his head hanging low, as he stared at her. She didn't have to see him to know that he was. The two of them had grown to be close friends in the past months, and with that, she had acquired a sense of his persona, and what all of his little actions meant.

"We both know that what she did in the past was inexcusable... But now she's found something that she never even realized she was missing... A sense of belonging- A place to call home." He said. Rika thought back to her mother, and her grandmother. In the original timeline, her, and her team hadn't stayed in town long after Guilmon was born... In fact, it was right about then that the Borg had first attempted to assimilate them, and that Ryo, had rescued them.

"...And by the way Rika, when I said, _"We both know..."_, I wasn't talking about you." He said, as he stepped thought the doors, that led to the maximum prisoner cell-block. As the young captain stood outside the block, she could hear the strangest of sounds coming from inside. So before the doors could close, she leapt through the door. Inside, the very first thing she saw was lieutenant Guilmon sitting next to the cell, with Ladydevimon laughing away on the other side. She looked over to the guards, and saw that they too looked as if they too where enjoying themselves... Captain Nonaka had traveled far and wide, and seen so much in her short life, but this was a first. To see one of her enemies fraternizing like this with her friends- She shot a glance over to Fink, and for a split second, she saw something that she saw him smile. It wasn't that the young captain was depressed, but he no matter what happened, she had never seen him happy either.

"Ya know, it's rude to stare..." Came Gene, not taking his eyes off of the pair in front of him. Rika looked at him, dumbfounded. Realizing that he right, she nodded, as she carefully took a place by his side.

"...You don't trust me, do you." Came the ultimate-level Digimon. She felt her stance stiffen, as she responded...

"No, I don't." She said plainly. Ladydevimon gave her a slight chuckle, as she shook her head.

"Honestly, I don't blame you... I've done absolutely nothing to earn your trust, and even if I did, it still wouldn't mean anything..." She said. The captain had to agree with her on that; not long after her supposed "Break-down" she had provided them with allot of information concerning Earth Prime, and some of their plans... But she knew that there was something that she was holding back.

"Yes, but that also places you in a unique position... Possibly," She paused for a moment, as she noticed that her college still hadn't budged at all. In fact, he seemed to be transfixed on something inside the cell. Bit right now wasn't the time to be musing on such things, so she pushed away to the back of her mind, as she continued. Right then, Ladydevimon decided to jump in...

"Your right, it would... And yes, it would also give me the chance to play on both your trust, and your emotions, allowing me the maneuvering room to plan my escape... Or worse yet, your downfall." Rika hardened her stare, as she carefully watched the creature behind the field. It was right about then, that she noticed that lieutenant Guilmon had disappeared. For a moment she thought that he just didn't want to see his new friend fight with one of his commanding officers, but then she came to her senses, and realized that he was still in the room... He just wasn't paying attention.

"But captain, there's one more thing that I _know_ you haven't even considered;" Snapping out of her thoughts, Rika relocked her eyes on the other Digimon, and saw something that she hadn't really expected... She was smiling, gently!

"That I've already lost everything close to me... Even my honor. I have nothing left to lose, not even my life... That was something that I forfeit the second that I was caught... And I'm sorry to disappoint you, ma'am, but this conflict isn't something that's worth giving my life over." She continued. Rika still felt the suspicion keeping her senses in focus, but fore some reason, she just couldn't keep her sense of cold hatred for the woman that she once had. She felt as if she was looking into a mirror, and seeing a time that was...

"Everyone, get down!!" Shouted Captain Fink, grabbing Rika's sleeve, and pulling her to the floor. The room rumbled, as a ploom of plasma erupted through the security doors. The room spun, as the ringing in her ears began to let up.

"Sirs!" Came the voice of one of the security officers, as he ran to them. Fink pulled himself into a kneeling position, giving the room before slapping his commbadge.

"Fink to _Prometheous_, lock on for emergency beam-out!" He shouted. Captain Nonaka stared at him, as he ran over to the woman who had been standing next to the door when it exploded. Rika saw her, and knew from first glance, that she was already dead.

"_Prometheous_, respond!" He shouted, slapping his commbadge once again.

"Hmhmhmhmhmmm... Oh and what do we have here? Four blind mice, and a traitor." Came a cynical voice from behind. Regaining her senses, Rika leapt into a crouch, as she locked her gaze on the mega.

"Piedmon!"

**Starfleet Command Complex, West Shinjuku, 1357 hrs.**

"Thunderclap!" Shouted Justimon, causing the ground beneath the Asuramon to collapse.

"Fire Fist of Shiva!" Shouted the ultimate, aiming his fist at the fractured Earth, propelling himself upwards, and back onto 'solid' ground. He laughed, as he saw the group having so much trouble with their team little team.

"Do not become too complacent Asuramon, this battle still could turn in their favor..." Came Machinedramon, not turning away from the pair of hybrids before him.

"Frozen Hunter!" Shouted Beowulfmon, charging at the andriodic Digimon at full force. Meanwhile, Machinedramon raised his clawed hand, successfully blocking the attack.

"You shouldn't be getting too full of yourself just yet; we may be evenly evolved, but my strength is superior! Infinity Hand!" He shouted, as he fired his arm at one of the adjacent building, taking Beowulfmon with it.

"Hurricane Gail!" Shouted Zephrymon, blatting her attack at the ultimate's limb, effectively knocking it off course. Grabbing onto the ledge of one of the buildings, Beowulfmon he used his inertia to arch his decent back to the ground.

"Thanks lieutenant." Said the young officer, as he regained his footing. The lieutenant just barely acknowledged her chief's gratitude, as she fired off another blast.

"Hurricane, Gail!" As the blast of cascading atmosphere charged towards the android, another explosion rang out from behind the group; sending ash, and debris flying through the air.

"What the hell!?" Shouted the commander, as he leapt to avoid being hit by a steel girder. Another explosion erupted, this time, from beneath him.

"Cleansing Light!" The attack ran thought the explosion, shattering the boulders before they could cause any more damage. As the commander landed, Asuramon leapt into the air, as he prepared to take advantage of this new development.

"Fire Fist of- Gahh!" He shouted, as a sword shot out from the debris, impacting him in his throat. Commander Akyama stared at the sight in horror, as he watched the ultimate-level Digimon disintegrate.

"Asuramon!" Shouted Machinedramon, turning just in time to see his constituent completely disappear. Just as Zephrymon, was about to counterattack, two more creatures, erupted from the ground half a meter from where the sword had come from.

"How dare you try to turn my own attack on me! Twin Sword!" Shouted Piedmon, as he tossed a bundle of swords at the Digimon in gleaming white, and red armor. Raising his shield, he charged at the incoming blades, running through them as if they where nothing more then wooden planks.

"I'll stop deflecting your weapons the second you tell me how the hell you where able to get past our anti-lepton emitters! Royal Joust!" Shouted Gallantmon, as he fired off a blast from his lance.

Shift to Ground

"_Deadalus_, please respond! We're under attack down here, we need reinforcements! _Deadalus_!" Shouted ensign Katou, as she prepped a hypospry for the injured woman in front of her. Around her, several other people either laid dieing, or where trying to kept the injured alive for as long as possible.

"Look out, there's another one!" Shouted one of the security officers, as she pointed a phaser towards a dark figure standing in one of the turbolift doorways. Jerry reached for one of the fallen phasers, and, spinning on her toes, aimed it dead on at the figure. Just as she was about to fire, she herd the familiar voice of one of her close friends.

"Hold your fire! She's on our side!" Came captain Nonaka, running in front of the viral type, just in time to keep anyone from getting a clear shot. Jerry stared at the sight in confusion, as she lowered her weapon.

"Rika?! What's going on!?" She asked, her voice reaching an optic that she hadn't thought was possible for even her. The captain lock eyes with her, as she answered:

"It's a long story, so I'll explain it later... But right now, this room is extremely unstable; we've got to get everyone out here now!" She shouted over the din of the fight raging on just outside. Jerry looked down at her tricorder, taking readings of her own of the room's structural integrity. Seeing that the captain was right, looked back up to everyone else in the room.

"Alright everyone, you heard the captain! The foundations been compromised! Quickly, grab whoever you can carry, and get them out of here!" She shouted desperately over the din of the battle, as she grabbed the secretary that she had been treating earlier, and began to drag her through the lobby. The room shook once again, causing a girder to collapse, crushing the elderly man below it. Jerry bit her bottom lip, as both her, and the half-dozen others ran as fast as they could out of any hole they could find. Finally, as they made it out of the building, she spotting a group of officers taking refuge behind several large chunks of debris. Running over to the group, she noticed one of her old friends kneeling behind.

"Lieutenant!" She shouted, as she, followed by the rest of her people, back behind the slab.

"Jerry? What the hell are you doin' here!?" He asked, clearly stunned by her sudden appearance. Just as she was about to respond to his question, the captain beat her to it.

"That doesn't matter right now... I want a statues report, lieutenant!" Shouted Rika, handing off the fallen officer to Ladydevimon, as she moved closer to Beck. Not wasting a second, the other captain went into a detailed, but brief synopsis...

"We're stuck behind a rock, Hypnos has been disabled, we _were_ under fire from a pair of ultimates, but one of them was killed, and has since been replaced by a mega... Gallantmon, Justimon, Beowulfmon, and Zephrymon are attempting to fight them off, but I don't think-"

"Okay, I get the picture!" Came the captain, cutting him off just at the end. Rika bit her lip, as she a maelstrom of ideas flew through her mind. Ensign Katou on the other hand, was more worried about the lives of everyone whom they had pulled out from the lobby, as she ran her tricorder probe over one of the said patients. Beside her, she could see that the prisoner, Ladydevimon, was just sitting there... Staring, watching, as she treated the injured.

"Ensign... Ensign!" Came the captain from behind her. Jerry snapped her attention back to her superiors.

"Jerry, are you alright?" Asked captain Nonaka, her hard scowl softening slightly, as she watched. Jerry took a deep breath, as she glanced back down at the injured officer.

"Most of these people have severe internal bleeding... If I was a trained medic, then I might be able to keep them stable until we could get them to a real hospital, but..." Jerry stopped, as she watched her tricorder for a long moment. As the ground beneath them shook, and rumbled, she reached up to the young mans face, and gently, closed him eyes... Seeing this, Rika placed her hand atop of her own, her face stone cold, as she lowered her head.

"You're all idiots..." Came a slightly deeper voice from in front of them. Both officers snapped to attentions, locking a hard glair on the speaker.

"What did you say!?" Asked captain Nonaka, slightly growling at what she had just herd. Ladydevimon remained stotic, as she replied.

"I said, your both idiots..." She replied. Jerry watched as the face of her old friend twisted into something into something truly frightening.

"How dare you! These people are dieing, and all you can do is be-"

"Rika..." Came a low, timid voice from behind the captain. Rika turned to see ensign Katou's hand grasping her shoulder, her head tilted down, and away from her. Rika stared in both confusion and disbelief... Just what did she think she was doing!?

"Rika, don't. She's right... Absolutely right." Replied the ensign. Rika could feel her confusion melt away into her disbelief, and that, heating into rage.

"Ensign, just what the hell are you saying?" She asked. A shiver ran though the hand that laid on her shoulder, as she watched the young ensign lift her head... Stunned, Rika looked into her friend's eyes, and saw something that seemed so alien to the girl...

"I'm saying, Rika, that what she's saying, is true... We shouldn't be sitting here, worrying about how to keep these people alive, even as they die instead-"

"-Instead grabbing whomever you can carry, and get them the hell outta' here." Finished the ultimate. Rika snapped her attention between the two. Finally, Rika turned to the lieutenant, whom was trying to set up a make-shift deflector screen, to keep the larger debris, and any smaller projectiles out.

"Lieutenant," She said, instantly pulling the lieutenant away from his work, giving her a silent 'sir!'. Rika felt her face harden once again, as she placed her hand on his tricorder.

"Have everyone grab whom ever's still alive, and have them run! Get them ta' run the hell out of here!" She said. The lieutenant stared at her dumbfounded, causing her scowl to harden further in annoyance.

"That's an order, lieutenant, not a request!" She said. The lieutenant opened and closed his mouth, as if her was trying to say something, but instead, settled for:

"You herd the captain everyone, let's go!" He said, putting away his tricorder, as he searched for a fallen officer who was still alive to carry. A pair of low sighs came from two behind her. Rika didn't like having to runaway, but there where times when that was necessary.

"Hm hm hm hm hm... Calling a formal retreat, captain...?" Came a deep voice from behind the them. The group spun to see a large, creature, clad in black, and silver amour, standing behind them. Ladydevimon stood slowly, locking the creature in a death-glair.

"Ka- Chaosalphamon..." She muttered. Another low chuckle emitted from the creature, as he uncrossed his arms.

"So, you still recognize me, my little pet... Then you should also know what's coming next..." Replied the mega-level Digimon, as he lifted his arm.

"Now prepare to DIE!" he shouted, before firing off a blast of energy at the team...

**Deck Six, Section 14, USS Prometheous, 1400 hrs.**

"So this is it... The beginning..." Said ensign Monodramon, as both he, and Ryo ran through the corridor. The lieutenant however, just barely gave his friend a grunt, as they turned a corner.

"Out of the way!!" He shouted, warning anyone there, that they where coming. They passed several ensigns as they made it to the Hazard Ops transporter room. The transporter chief gave them a strange look, as the pair stopped to catch their breaths.

"Sir... What are you doing here?" Asked the confused chief. Ryo didn't even make eye-contact, as he ran up to the rear consol, where he began to tap in several commands.

"Sir, what the hell are you-"

"I'm sorry chief, but it's better if your unconscious for this..." He said to the ensign. He watched the Trills eyes widen, as a crimson beam tore out from behind him. Ryo caught the ensign as he fell, and him laid out on the deck. Giving him another apology, he stood back up...

"You've been practicing, haven't you?" He asked Monodramon, whom in return, gave him a wan smile.

"Ehy, I had ta' do _something_ while you where busy with helpin' the Doctor!" Ryo cracked a slight grin at his old friends reply. Working quickly, he rerouted command protocols for the transporter. He knew that in order to get off of the ship, they would need to lower the shields first... But then again, no one had ever really bothered to mention that to him.

"The room's sealed..." Came Monodramon, as he replaced the panel to it's place. Ryo looked up from the consol, as he watched his partner hop back onto the transporter pad.

"The transporter?" He asked. Ryo cracked a sly grin, as he finished tapping in their destination.

"I've matched the matter-stream transport frequency with the shield harmonics... We're ready-" He said, as he leapt over the consol, as the sound of the computers countdown rang throughout the room. Just as the lieutenant touched the pad, the pair where swept into it silver silhouette.

Shift to Battle sight

"GIGA CANNON!"

"SHIELD OF THE JOUST!!" Replied Gallantmon, as he blasted off his own attack. The two waves clashed, creating a shockwave that sent much of the debris around them flying...

"Had enough yet?" Asked Guilmon from within the hybrid form. The ultimate-level Digimon only growled, as he locked his gaze onto the pair.

"Thanks for the hand captain." Said commander Akyama. Fink grinned inwardly to himself, as he watched the officer. There names, and histories may have been different, but the more he interacted with the two duplicates of his old friend, the more he was convinced that they where all one person at one point... Just now, the way he had thanked him... The way he never took his eyes from his opponent, the steel in his duel voice, his rigid, yet relaxed stance... He seemed more like an old tiger, ready to pounce if the intruder got too close, but also ready to back down, if the other complied.

"Foolish captain... Didn't your mother ever tell you to never look away in a fight!? FINAL SPELL!!" Captain Fink shot back to reality, as he watched the ultra-sonic blast-wave speed towards him. Knowing that there was no way he could dodge it, he raised his shield...

"SHIELD... OF..."

"Captain! FROZEN HUNTER!!" Shouted Beowulfmon, as he shot off his own attack. Gallantmon braced himself for the impact of what he was about to do...

"What the hell are you-!?" Gallentmon's inward grin returned, as he continued to spill power into his shield. If he was right, then he would be able to negate the power of the sonic blast... But the proceeding flash, and sonic boom would be enough to disable all of them... That is, if it worked.

"...THE JOUST!!" The world suddenly faded to white, as Gallantmon caught the edge of his own words. But just as his vision melted away, he thought that he had seen a blur of black rush past his eyes. He felt dizzy, and disoriented. His felt his legs jolting beneath him... His left arm felt numb, so much so, that he couldn't even feel his shield's controls. It was then, that he felt the back of his head smash into something hard. His legs still jolted as he felt the jagged edge of something sharp cut through his amour on the only arm he still had feeling in. He felt his left shoulder pop, as it twisted across his chest. After a moment, the fog began to clear. His eyes locked themselves ahead of him, as he stared into to the eyes of a creature dressed completely in black, and silver armor. He looked down at his shield, and saw that part of it's side had been blasted off, and was now digging into his damaged armor. Beyond, he could see that Piedmon wasn't in that great of condition either... Him, being held down, by Justimon.

Shift to Ground

Ensign Katou watched in horror, as both the giant, black night held down her superior, and her friend grasped their enemy's neck in his hands, ready to twist at a moments notice.

"-Ensign!? Ensign!?" Jerry was trusted from her blank mind, as captain Nonaka began to violently shake her shoulders. She turned, and stared into the young captain's violet eyes.

"Ensign Katou, we have wounded... Focus on them." She turned, and saw the field of the dead and dieing... It broke her heart, as she watched another of the severely injured convulse, and then relax. Jerry thought back to that time, so long ago...

"There's nothing we can do for them-" Her jaw locked itself in place, as she held back a tear. She took a deep breath to calm herself, even if her attempts where ultimately futile. Not giving herself time to readjust, she glared into the captains eyes.

"We can't help them. Not unless you know how to counteract that, weird anti-lepton surge!" She shouted, piercing through the command officer's roughened exterior with her glair. The captain turned away from her critical eyes, as she watched the stalemate closely.

"There is... But they won't survive long enough to get them that kind of help..." Uncharacteristically replied Rika. Jerry blinked, holding back the urge to look back at the other casualties. She forced herself to look back to the battlefield before them.

"Master... What are you doing here?!" Came Machinedramon, as he looked down at the now halted fight. Beside him, Jerry could see Beowulfmon lying against the smashed side of a car. Coughing, and holding his side as he phased in and out of molecular cohesion. Ahead of the them, stood the other Justimon, his blade charged, ready to pounce on whoever was to move first. Jerry clutched her chest, as she tried to keep herself from collapsing, and sobbing. She wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the group, before she noticed the sound of a low chuckle... And it wasn't coming from the dark knight.

"Ha ha... Why don't you answer him, or, weren't you counting on me showing up?" Asked Justimon, in a low voice, catching just about everyone off guard.

"Hmn, as prompt as ever, mister Akyama..." Replied the black creature. Jerry couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu. A deja vu that she just couldn't place...

"Well you know what they say; A Vol-shCh (Vah-all-shh-cha painstick/cattle prod) won't move the fat P'TaQ (Peh-tah-ka without honor)!" Replied the lieutenant. A cold chill ran up the ensign's back, as she listened to her friend speech. In the year that she'd known him, never before could she remember him acting anything like this... It was almost as if, he was a totally different person!

"Lieu- Tenant... What- Is he, talking about...?" Asked Gallantmon, as he struggled to breath from under the dark knight. The non-existent grin that Jerry could see beneath the mega's mask, melt away, as turned towards his commanding officer.

"I'm sorry captain, but I'm afraid that I lied on my entrance ticket for Starfleet..." From across the field, Jerry could see the duplicate commander revert back, as he stood.

"Lieutenant, what the hell does that have anything to do with-"

"Save it! You lied on it too!" He shouted. Everyone watched the pair critically, as they processed what they were hearing.

"We both know full well, that this world... Not even this era, is the place where either were born... We are Human, we are from Earth, but our Earth... Is gone." Jerry felt her breath catch in her thought, as she tried to process what she had just herd.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I don't believe it, you haven't even told them yet! Oh, this far too much!" Laughed the New Digimon. Beneath him, Jerry watched, as a piece of the mega began to phase in and out of cohesion.

_'What's going on? Captain Fink wasn't injured that badly, so why does it look like he's-'_ she stopped in mid-thought, as the trio continued their game of wordplay, Jerry realized why they where having such a hard time keeping up...

"-The anti-lepton field!" She whispered quietly. Not wasting any time, she flipped her tricorder back open, and began ruthlessly scanning the area around her.

"Ensign?" Nonaka prompted. She ignored for a moment, as she scanned the radiation surrounding them. As soon, as she her tricorder had a lock, she glanced up to the captain.

"That new Digimon, he's generating a field of some kind of Anti-lepton radiation... And he's pouring it directly into Gallantmon! It's disrupting the bio-quantum link between their Human, and Digimon halves!" She quickly explained, locking her eyes back onto her tricorder, as she continued her work.

"How!? If he's using _that_ kind of radiation, then shouldn't he be effected as well?!" Asked Rika. Jerry didn't answer, because she was already two steps ahead of her.

"I've already thought of that... If I can lock onto the frequency, then I can direct an anti-digiton pulse to temporarily disrupt his control!" She said, as the tricorder continued to scan the frequency variances.

"Of course! Because leptons, and digitons are both nearly identical types of sub-atomic particles-"

"-A burst of digitons at the same frequency would disrupt it." Finished the ensign, as she silently prayed that her plan would work.

Shift to Justimon

The lieutenant silently watched the lone creature, as he continued to hold Piedmon pinned to the building behind them. He had surprised the mega by slapping him with his enlarged, armored hand that he normally used for his thunder clap. While the way he'd used it had been unique to it's original function, Piedmon on the other hand, apparently disagreed, as he continued to struggle beneath it.

"-Impudent little-! I'm going to reduce you to a keychain and cut you-"

"Silence!" Shouted the dark-clad knight at his strongest asset. The mega immediately stopped, a low growl emanating from him, just laud enough for the young officer to hear. He tilted his head, as another low chuckle escaped his throat.

"I can see you've been working on your tempore since we last spoke... Chaosalphamon." He said, slightly grinning. He could see the amusement in his eyes instantly change to irritation at the mentioning of him name.

"And you... You're much quieter then our last meeting. I didn't even have the time to react as soon as I heard your feet... Commander!" Retorted Chaosalphamon. Ryo could see his grip slacken as he spoke. He knew that he was just testing him, to see how he would react... But he couldn't help feel a limb or two flinch slightly at the sight.

"Lieutenant, just what the hell is going on here!?" Asked the other Justimon. Ryo glanced over to his counter part, while not letting his old enemy out of his sight.

"I may as well tell you, sir... This creature-"

"Don't you dare!" Shouted Chaosalphamon, cutting Ryo off in mid-sentence. Ignoring him, he continued.

"...Is Doromon. His Doromon!" He shouted. Instantly, he saw his counterpart freeze in place, at the mentioning of his name. Ryo slammed his eyes shut, trying to keep from so many painful memories from flooding back. Below his enlarged hand, he could feel the struggling mega, pause, as he knew he was observing the scene before him.

"Da- Doromon... I- It ka- Can't be...!" The commander stuttered. Ryo herd the sound of metal clacking against stone, and knew that it was his counterpart, falling to his knees. After a moment, he could feel Monodramon whispering directly to him.

_"Ryo, open your eyes... It's the least you can do."_ He said. The lieutenant knew that he was right... After all, in the next few moments, he knew just how much history would change, and how much they would lose.

"You- You think your smart- So glorious- So intrepid... But you just don't realize just how much it all really means in the end... How much, you can't take with you... Into the darkness..." Whispered Chaosalphamon, as this time his grip slackening greatly. Ryo could hear Gallantmon gasping heartily for air, as he finally began to shift back into both, captain Fink, and lieutenant Guilmon, both collapsing to the ground, still gasping for breath.

"Master! What are you-"

"I SAID SILENCE! DIGITAL MATRIX CORRUPTOR!!" Shouted Chaosalphamon; lifting his hand, and firing three nearly blindingly red beams. Each beam exploded as they made contact with Machinedramon metal armor, Ryo had to cover his face to keep himself from being blinded. Just then, he felt something sharp tear through the heavy armor of his right hand. The sadistic laugh of the mega-level Digimon rang out, as he felt that same sharp tip slide across his torso.

"TRUMP SWORD!" He shouted. Feeling the white-hot pain of the wound, he felt all the strength drain from his legs, as he collapsed forward.

"Hahahahaha! Your not so tough now, are you!" Shouted the mega.

"What's happened to you...? You- My god, what's happened to you!?" Asked Justimon, stumbling over his words

"YOU BASTARED!!" Shouted Beowulfmon, as he lock his tri-bladed sword with one of Piedmon's, just as he had brought it down to cut the lieutenant in half. Ryo looked up at the hybrid, as he struggled to hold the mega back. Behind the pair, he could hear his commanding officer coughing, as well as the sound of sputtering.

"Doro..." Whispered the commander once more, his form nearly falling out of phase. Ryo bit back a the sense of regret, as the channel locks that held back so many different images, and feelings that he thought he had locked away in a box and stashed away in the back in his mind long ago, as he watched his duplicate just stare blankly at their old friend.

"No, that Doromon died a long time ago, commander... He died," Chaosalphamon pulled something out from his sleeve, a picture, and flicked it off into the air. Ryo didn't need to see what it was to know what was printed on it.

"When Ryuu was killed by the Vorsothians." He finished. He looked away, as he saw both his duplicates, as well as Chaosalphamon's heads cock towards him in shock.

"How do-" Commander Akyama began, clearly caught off guard by his duplicates response. For a spit second, he didn't even realize what he was doing... He looked into Chaosalphamon's eyes, and saw something that thought the creature was incapable of... Hate. Absolute hate. He felt his mind disappear into a grey fog. For so long, he had convinced himself, that his oldest friend, no matter what he did, was simply incapable of such a thing.

"LIEUTENANT!" Shouted commander Akyama, as he futilely grasped onto his shoulder. His mind snapped out of its trance, forcing him to lock onto whatever was before him, and what he found, disturbed him to every extent. He was still staring into Chaosalphamon's glair, but instead of having at least ten meters of space between them, he had pinned the mega-level Digimon to the same building that he had pinned his commanding officer to; his own sword made by forcefield pressing against his throat. He could feel himself growling ferally, as he listened to the group behind him.

"For so long... We've worked..." He said, his voice a whisper. The three creatures around him all stopped their chattering, as they listened to him speak.

_'Ryo...'_ Said Monodramon, as he too was forced back into that time. The elder Tamer held back a tear, as he continued to remember...

"...We laughed... We lived... We learned... You, where his partner. You swore to protect both him, and our world..." He continued.

"And then, he died... And so did the universe..." Finished the mega, and for a split moment, he saw all of the haltered drain from his eyes, being replaced by something that he thought that he'd never see again... The look of a Doromon's curiosity... Then suddenly, he too for a moment, he felt all the anger, fear, and all the pain at seeing him like that disappear. But those few seconds of bliss, didn't last long...

"No... NOOOHHH!!" Roared Chaosalphamon, as he fired his the DMC, forcing Ryo to slam into his duplicate. The initial force of the blast was enough to send the pair flying into giant piece of debris that had fallen from one of the near-by buildings. The lieutenant groaned in pain, as he attempted to push himself off of his duplicate, not realizing it was taking everything he had left just to keep himself standing. He opened his eyes, not realizing that they where even shut, to see pillars of smoke billowing away from a pair of holes in his armor. He glanced down at his hand, and watched as it phased.

"Impudent fool! I'm going to enjoy watching your blood drain from your lifeless remains!" Knowing that he wouldn't be able to do much else, he struggled to lift his head back up to look at his old friend, as he knew what was to happen next...

"NOW!!" Came a shout from behind the group. Ryo watched as Chaosalphamon suddenly stopped, and began doubling over in pain.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!" He shouted, but fortunately, his ancient friend's scream of pain was blocked out by his own. His entire body felt as if it where being torn apart, proton, by neutron, by electron... Then without warning, he felt himself disconnect from Monodramon. He felt his bond with his old friend slip away, as his knees connected hard with smashed the concrete below.

Shift to Ground

"We did it; HE'S DOWN!" Shouted ensign Katou, as her, and captain Nonaka gasped for breath. They had activated the amplified version of the anti-lepton pulse just as that creator, Chaosalphamon as her Ryo had called him, was about to land a mortal blow on her friend.

"Wha- What the... Hell, did you- Do!?" Retorted Chaosalphamon meekly, gasping from air far heavily then they were. She didn't really know that much about sub-atomic particles aside from the basics, but what she didn't' know, captain Nonaka was able to fill in the rest...

"Hah... It's simple... We- We tapped into the anti-lepton field that, you're generating... Hah, hah..." Rasped captain Nonaka, as she struggled to catch her breath. Jerry knew that if she kept talking in her condition, she might begin the hyperventilate. So gasping a few even breaths in herself, she finished for her superior:

"And we, used, the digivice to emit an... Anti-digiton wave to excite- the anti-lepton... Particles... Hah, hah, hah..." She said, as she struggled to catch her breath, locking her eyes on the mega, his own gasping slowing.

_'No; he's recovering faster than I thought!'_ The ensign thought to herself. Chaosalphamon stumbled to his feet, trying to regain his own balance.

"You- You're just like her..." Grunted the mega. Jerry shot him a querying look, confused, as she tried to place what he had just said.

"Who?" She said. "I'm like who?" Chaosalphamon looked up to, his eyes blank, searching, for something that wasn't there...

"Mother." Came lieutenant Akyama from behind... Jerry felt her eyebrows arch at what the engineer had said... Then, it hit her; she never had really met his mother. In fact, from what she knew, she was dead.

"No- The mega whispered.

"Was...? Doro, what are you saying?" Came commander Akyama, as he took a few steps away from the rock that he'd been partially crushed into. Lieutenant Monodramon only partially conscious behind him.

"I mean... Your mother is dead, Commander Ryo Akyama..." He replied. The commander's eyes widened in disbelief, as Chaosalphamon began to chuckle.

"I'm sorry, Ryo..." Came the lieutenant, placing a knowing hand on the officer's shoulder. The commander looked at his duplicate confusingly. His jaw hung open, as if he where trying to find any kind of words that he could use to reply, but the lieutenant gave blinked, shaking his head slightly.

"I know it hurts, but she did it, protect you..." He said, turning to Chaosalphamon. "_All_ of you." The steel in his voice evident. He turned toward Rika, tossing her a small item that he had hidden in his sleeve. Jerry could hear the surprise in her voice, as she held the device in her hands.

"Ca- Commander." She said, her hands dropping slightly. Jerry caught a look at what she was holding, but seeing the small device didn't answer any of her questions.

"A commbadge?" She said, again looking the device over again. The device was scarred, burnt, and broken, yet the ancient captain was holding it as if it could shatter into a thousand pieces at any second.

"Not just any commbadge... My commbadge." She said. "I gave this to my current first officer, _my_ Ryo Akyama... Two years before I took command of the _Phoenix_." Jerry felt every single hair stand on end, as she realized exactly what was happening; why her friend was acting so strangely...

"Tempus fugit..." She whispered, so low, that no one seemed to notice.

"Unfortunately ensign... Although, I think this kind of paradox is gonna need a name of it's own." Replied the lieutenant. Stunned, ensign Katou watched the other officer, scrutinizing him, to see if there was anything else he would pull before this would be over.

"You're wrong, commander. This paradox already has a name..." Came the mega, holding the weapon his left hand up towards the sky; clenching, and unclenching his fingers, as he spoke. "And it's name, sir, is: THE KATOU PARADOX!" He shouted, and for a moment, as Jerry stood there, time itself seemed to slow down... What Chaosalphamon had just said- What Ryo had been talking about all this time... Somehow, she was root element in all of it. Even as Chaosalphamon flew towards her, she couldn't help but stand still. After everything that had happened; the appearance of the _Prometheous_, and the _Stargazer_... Her commission aboard the _Deadalus_... The Earth Prime Resistance movement, even the death's of commander Matsuki's family... They where all her fault. Or rather, the fault of her future self. So she stayed there, and accepted what was to be her fate. Until...

"NOOOHHH!!" Shouted lieutenant commander Akyama, as the ancient officer saw what his oldest friend had done.

"You..." Said Chaosalphamon, as he stared at the creature in front of him...

"Beowulfmon..." Jerry murmured, as she felt the blood that had spattered from the mega's weapon run down her cheek. Jerry stared at the pair for a long moment, comprehension escaping her. Blood ran down the edge of Chaosalphamon's weapon; a look of shock playing through the mega's eyes, as Beowulfmon's lips curved in a grim grin.

"Sorry bastared... But this paradox, ends here." He rasped. Jerry lost her footing, and stumbled; the feeling of her heart crushing returning to her, as her eyes locked onto wound. Beowulfmon began to phase, before his thractial code revealed itself.

"Fool," Said Chaosalphamon, as he began scanning the code. "You shouldn't have done that..."

"Lieutenant!" Shouted Captain Fink, as he struggled to a standing position. "Chaosalphamon, stop what you're doing NOW!" Shouted the captain, as he pulled out his phaser.

"I don't think so..." Replied the mega. An angry crimson beam spat out from the weapons nose, impacting the Digimon's armor, but not much else.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! That won't work captain... I've already absorbed most of his power!" Came the mega. Jerry watched in horror, as the lieutenant's digital form faded back to his Humanity. She slammed her eyes shut, holding back tears, and grasping the sides of her head, as she tried to block out the pain of watching someone she was so close to, die...

"I'm sorry... ensign, Katou..." Rasped Koji. Jerry felt her wall crumble at the sound of his voice... So calm, so relaxed, and not a trace of pain. She opened her eyes, and forced herself to look at her superior.

"For what?" She asked. The grim grin that danced across his lips, spread out to a sincere smile that spread across the lieutenant's face, as he weakly chuckled at her question.

"Because... I'm afraid that I won't, be able to- To keep my promise for dinner, tonight..." He said. His physical form was beginning to demolecularize. The tears that she had so desperately been trying to hold back where now running freely, washing the crusting blood away with it. After all that- After everything that was happening to him, _that_ was the only thing that he could think of. Jerry fell to her knees, as sobbing.

"Don't cry Jerry... After all- You, have a- Lion's heart..." And with that, he disappeared completely; his digivice and his commbadge falling from his form, clanking as they hit the ground. Jerry stared at the two devices, as the battle around her continued.

"NO! You bastared!" Shouted captain Nonaka as she picked up a phaser rightful, and attempted to fire it at the mega. The world around Ensign Jerry Katou seemed to disappear, as she watched the static dance across the lieutenant's digivice; his last words echoing in her head. Every time she got close to anyone, they always ended up suffering. She knew from her own training that it was all really just a series of painful coincidences, but no matter how many times she tried to tell herself that, those words just seemed more, and more hollow. She thought back to that day when she was only six years old... She was in a bank, with her mother. She had taken her straight from daycare to run a quick errand, when several men came, and began terrorizing everyone there. She didn't know it at the time, but all that they where really after, was the money that was held there after all, it was a bank. But when she didn't stop crying, one of the men pointed a gun at her, and when they threatened to shoot, her mother leapt in to protect her... She could still see her, laying on the ground there. She even remembered what her last words were;

_"Don't be sad Jerry... Please, be a brave girl for mommy. Be the one- With a lion's heart."_ Jerry sniffed back more tears, as she closed her eyes.

"You insolent fools... Can't you see I've already won!" Said Chaosalphamon, as held captain Nonaka by the shoulder, her body elevated about a foot off the ground.

"Like hell! The only thing you've won, is your head, a place above my replicator!" Spat captain Nonaka, her hands grasping at his arm. The mega couldn't help but laugh at her futile attempts to release herself.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!"

"Bastared..." Came a low voice that cut through Chaosalphamon's hysteria like a serrated blade. The shocked group turned to the ensign, the young woman, whom hadn't so much as ever been able to insult a microbe, as she slowly stood. Her head, hung over the deactivated Digivice.

"What was that?" Asked Chaosalphamon, tossing the captain into a nearby building, where she landed with a grunt. Ensign Katou remained quite for a short time, as she ran her fingers down the face of the device.

"I don't know who you are..." She began, the tears that had previously soaking her face, now almost completely dried.

"Or where you came from... But," Jerry lowered the two devices; her arms slumping to her sides.

"What the hell gives you the right," Her head began to lift slightly, her eyes locking with the mega's. "To take someone's life!?" Her face was filthy with dirt, blood, and tears... But if looks could kill, then the sheer look in Jerry's eyes should be causing Chaosalphamon to implode into a singularity. The mega however, noticing her death-glairs, couldn't help but chuckle.

"Who ever said that I was killing someone? Look around you little girl! See the world around you? This entire star system was built from the rubble, the dust, the _ashes_ that where once my home, my people, my whole _universe_! As far as I'm concerned, you are nothing more, then accessories to murder." He replied. Jerry felt her hands ball into fists, and a warm liquid begin to drip down some of her fingers. Every cell of her being was being set aflame with anger, but held back her fuse, as she felt that flame turn into one of hatred.

"How can you saw that?" She whispered, her voice becoming more and more horse with every passing second. She wanted to say more, so much more, but held herself back, as she didn't trust herself to say anything further. Chaosalphamon however, didn't plan on letting her have that curtsey...

"I can see everything, you know... I know of what he had planned for the two of you in the mess hall this evening... What was going through his head, when he first told you not to try your chief's cooking... Even how he really felt about you..." He said, his grin erupting into a sadistic smile.

"And, Jerry Katou... There's one more thing;" He said, his smile growing wider. "You don't possess anything close to a lion's heart." Jerry felt her grasp on Koji's digivice tighten, as her jaw locked itself in place.

_'Jerry...'_ Came a voice. The ensign snapped out of her blinded state, as she tried to see who had called her, and then, she looked down at the digivice. She stared at the screen for a moment, as the image of something began to phase through the static. It was then that Jerry realized who had called her...

"What are you doing?" Asked Chaosalphamon, taking on a defensive stance. Jerry looked back to the despicable mega, the surge of anger that had nearly overwhelmed her, now a little calmer...

"If that's the way you see the world... Then I-" She paused, almost as if she were listening to someone else speak to her... "Then we, have no choice, but to stop you." She said, as she held both her hands away from her sides; her voice taking on a double tune, almost as if two people where talking at once. Chaosalphamon's eyes widened, as he realized what she was planning to do next.

"EXECUTE NOW! FUSION EVOLUTION!" The world around her faded into a veil of white, as she felt the digicode make contact with the digivice. For a long moment, she just stood there, waiting for whatever was supposed to happen next. But after another few minutes of waiting, she decided to check her surroundings... She looked for something... Anything really, but no matter where she looked, she only saw white.

"Jerry?" Came a familiar voice. The ensign spun to see if it was who she thought it was.

"Koji..." She said; tears welling up in her eyes again. The lieutenant shook his head, a wan smile playing across his lips.

"No, I'm-" He paused, almost as if he were at a loss for words. "Think of me, as a ghost of the lieutenant..." Tears fell freely down Jerry's face, as she heard this...

"But," He said. "There _is_ something here for you... Something, that he wanted me to ensure you would have." Jerry stood there for a long moment, and stared in wonder.

"This, was his final gift to you! Use it, to let your lion's heart roar!"

Shift to Commander Akyama

"BEOWULFMON!!" Shouted ensign Katou in a duel voice. Lieutenant commander Ryo Akyama stared at the scene before him. In the past ten minutes alone, he had just seen the temporal prime directive broken in eight places, three different paradoxes form, one of their best officer's lose him life, and something impossible. And apparently, Chaosalphamon shared his feelings...

"What's going here!? How did you-"

"Chaosalphamon!" Came the ensign, her double voice echoing around them. "I don't care... In the time that you have spent here, you have created multiple paradoxes in time; terrorized half a galaxy, and killed- Slaughtered, hundreds of billion of people, if not more... You no longer have a voice!" She said, as she leapt at the other Digimon at blinding speeds. Rika couldn't even tell who had hit who, as she herd the clanking of there weapons. Then, after a minute, as the dust cleared away, she saw their two forms, locked in a complete deadlock.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Asked the insane mega. "You are more than an echo of the dead." Rika watched the mega's sadistic grin widen, but for some reason, it seemed different this time.

"You are a fool, Chaosalphamon... I know you are, because I can see it in your eyes." She said. Chaosalphamon laughed at this, as he said:

"What _do_ you see; Fear?" He asked. The ensign's face remained stotic, as she replied...

"No... I can see them. The crew, of the _Pegasus_." She said. Both the mega and the first officer gasped, as he broke away from their deadlock.

"Ha- H- Ha- How?!" He chocked out.

"I know, because the scan works both ways." She said. Then it hit the him; Koji hadn't just given her his digivice, and the codes therein, he had given her everything... Even what he could copy, and download from the mega's own digicode.

"Bitch!" He exclaimed. "DEMONIC SWORD GRADE ALPHA!" The commander watched, as the insane mega summoned a familiar weapon, and leapt at his new target.

"Com- Mander..." Came a ragged voice, as something grabbed his ankle. Ryo looked down to see a wounded Ladydevimon grasping at his foot.

"Commander..." She said, gasping for air, as she tried to look into his eyes. "His- Weakness..." She gasped out. Ryo kneeled down to her, and grabbed her hand, as he listened.

"It's alright, I think I already know..." He said reassuringly. A look of surprise spread across her face; and with a court nod, he stood back up, and pulled out his multi-phasic resonator... The one that he had stolen from his father.

"Ensign, the next time he attacks, try and-"

"I already know, commander..." She said in her double voice, as she turned back towards him. "Lieutenant Minamoto already discovered his weakness..." Slightly stunned, the commander felt a grin curve up his face, as he eyed the ensign.

"Even if you've found my weakness, you still can't reap it's usage with out destroying this miserable world!" Shouted Chaosalphamon, as he wound his arm back. "DIGITAL MATRIX CORRUPTER!"

"Frozen Hunter: Static Shell!" She said as she lifted her sword, and formed the photonic wolf. But just as she was about to strike, a seemingly forgotten voice range out from above her...

"Multi-phasic resonator ready!" Ryo shouted, the hum of the ancient device causing the air around him to ripple slightly. So, in a matter of seconds, he had the small device out, and programmed.

"Then activate it, NOW" She shouted, not even taking the time to glance over to the commander.

"Just what the hell are-" He stopped, as he realized exactly what she had up her sleeve. "You bit-"

"TEMPUS FUGIT!" They both shouted, the ensign her sword forward, along with her photonic wolf, and his captured attack.

"NOOOOOOO!!" Shouted Chaosalphamon. As the attack collided with his body, Ryo watched as the mega's own attack was used against him. The first officer of the _Phoenix_ watched, as the combined power of the two attacks impacted, and interacted with the anti-lepton remnant field that he was generating begin to tear a rift in the very fabric of space-time. The swirl of the golden vortex mesmerized the commander for a long moment.

"No... Something's wrong; the vortex- Why isn't it closing?" He asked more to himself then to anyone else, as he began to check his resonators settings.

"Forget it commander; the multi-phasic resonator's already lost it's lock on time-space..." Came lieutenant Akyama. Ryo turned a sneer to his duplicate, but as he looked into his face, he saw something that he hadn't expected to see: remorse. But why? The commander swallowed the flurry of questions that he wanted to shoot the officer down with, as he asked the only question that really mattered at the moment;

"Lieutenant; if you know anything else that we _really_ should know, then spit it out, or else I'll have you tossed in-"

"I'm sorry, Ryo..." Replied the lieutenant, as he reached up to rest his hand on his shoulder, but just before his hand could come in contact with the fabric of his uniform, he pulled away. It took him a moment for him to realize it, but once he worked it all out, everything began to make sense!

_'Of course! His quiet omnipotence- His sudden shifts in character- His possession of knowledge, and materials that only _he_ should have... The vortex it all make sense now!'_ He thought to himself.

"Lieutenant- Your not just me, you _are _me!" He said, nearly staggering back as he stared at himself.

"Commander?" Came Captain Fink, as captain Nonaka, and lieutenant Guilmon helped him to his feet.

"Your a _future_ me!" He said, to everyone's shock. The lieutenant nodded in silent agreement; his posture stiffening, almost as if he were waiting for something else to happen...

"Tu fui ego eris- I was once you, and you will become me... For _us,_" Corrected the lieutenant, motioning to Monodramon. "Time lost it's meaning long ago. I'm sorry..." He said. If it weren't for the fact that it was himself that explaining all of this, then the commander would have been asking a few more questions; but sometimes, that was what the aftermath was for. Right now, they had one hell of a paradox on their hands... And he didn't like where this was heading...

"There is a way to keep the vortex from expanding any further..." Came the lieutenant. This time, the commander did stagger back several steps, as he was caught off guard.

"WHAT!?" Both captain's shouted in unison. "You mean that damn thing's expanding!?" Asked captain Nonaka. The lieutenant cracked a tired grin, as he nodded in confirmation.

"Unfortunately. It's expanding fast... By the time you get back to your ships, it will have already expanded to the size of this entire city block, and begin creating fractures in space-time." Explained the lieutenant. Commander Akyama looked down at his resonator; cursing himself for using it... Then, all in an instant, he understood what the lieutenant was getting at... What the solution to the paradox was... Turning to his own Monodramon, he looked him in the eye, and nodded.

"Captain Nonaka..." He said, pouring everything into his voice, trying to keep everything together. "As the first officer of the United Timeship _Phoenix_, and as a Starfleet officer, I hereby resign my commission." He pulled off his commbadge, lieutenant Monodramon following suit.

"Ryo? What the hell do you think your doing!?" Asked captain Nonaka, dropping Captain Fink's arm, allowing him and Guilmon to stumble as he tried to regain his balance.

"I'm sorry Rika, but the resonator is the only way to collapse the vortex without causing multiple paradoxes from forming..." He said, as the pair reached the rifts mouth. "Gnōthi seauton, Wildcat..." He said. Before the captain could stop them, both he, and Monodramon tossed her their commbadges, before both turned back to the vortex, and leapt through, closing the rift behind them.

**Earth Prime Resistance Cell 277, 1649 hrs.**

_"Subspace scan complete: Unable to locate Chaosalphamon unit."_ Came the monotone voice of the hive. The Queen watched the holographic screen with interest, as her drones worked tirelessly around her.

"Locate obstacle zero-three-gamma, and assess" She said. The view on her screen changed to one of the Starfleet vessels in orbit. The _Stargazer_...

_"Target assessed; refit to Galaxy-class dreadnought completion at thirty percent."_ Replied the monotonous voices of her collective.

"Forget it, you'll never be able to defeat them, even if you _do_ manage to disable most of their ships." Came an only familiar voice from behind. The Queen had grown quite used to her little intruder by now; just as much as she was to her host...

"Oh, don't worry, I don't plan on disabling them..." She said, her normal smile returning to her face. "Now that the master is gone, I am now free to rebuild my collective. And I will start, with my family..."


	2. Three Minutes to Midnight

**DISCLAIMER:** Hey, DT here! Well here it is, chapter 26... You know, I was taking a look at the word counts on some of my other chapters, and I realized, I am a windbag! ...Or in this case, a typebag...? Anyway, for those of you who may have been somewhat confused by the last chapter... Screw you, and stop emailing me! Read and review! - - I don't own Digimon, or Star Trek. Just the crap that I can make-up in my warpped head. So, **DON'T SUE ME!!!**

* * *

**Unknown Place, Unknown Time**

_"It is coming, commander..."_ Said a voice that seemed to come from every direction, the abyss of the white mist surrounding them began to ripple and shift. Never the less, the pair stood in place, but soon found themselves standing at the center of the _Phoenix's_ bridge; her crew turned away from their posts, silently scrutinizing them as they each spoke in turn.

"We already know dat..." Monodramon answered, yet still stood blankly beside his friend. "What are ya' gonna' do about it?" The group all glanced from across the room to each other at once, all of them seeming to consider the question.

_"The answer is beyond us..."_ Ryo shot a querying glance to the Prophet that had assumed his former commanding officer's form.

"Beyond _you_; you're the Prophets, right? Time has virtually no meaning-" Ryo stopped, as the sound of whispers became apparent. But it wasn't the sound alone that made him stop; it was the fact that the voice sounded all too familiar.

_"He is calling... He shall ask."_ The Prophet whom spoke with Lieutenant Wong's voice said. With a flash of light on the already bright deck, the lone form of Commander Takato Matsuki appeared. Startled, the young first officer quickly scanned his surroundings before settling into a more relaxed but rigid stance.

_"The Tamer has returned..."_ Lieutenant Impmon spoke from the aft engineering consol at the rear of the bridge. His eyes silently scanned his new surroundings. Noticing that something seemed out of place with them, he watched as Takato began eyeing him quizzically.

"Lieutenant Akyama? Ensign Monodramon, what're you two doing here?" The commander asked. Ryo just gave him one of his characteristic grins before ever slightly inclining his head.

"Now that's weird... Unusually these guys get stingy and won't let anyone else in." Ryo took several steps around the rear of the bridge, making a point not to walk behind any of the people that had brought them there. The commander however was still eyeing him suspiciously.

_"The Tamer is confused again."_ Interrupted that bared the likeness of lieutenant Renamon.

_"He was hoping to speak to the Emissary..."_ The Profit version of Quad'ka said her face stoic and unmoving.

_"...But he is not here now; only us, them, and it."_ An officer that Ryo didn't particularly recognize finished. He took a closer look at the man, but still couldn't place who, or even where he had seen him before.

"I'm not sure what you want, but could ya' at least tell me what's going on!?" Ryo's grin faded to dull smile as a single sobering answer flowed throughout his mind. He could tell by the glair plastered across his face, that Takato was ignoring the urge to ask the cryptic beings what they were talking about, just as he was...

"I'm sorry Takato, but my time is over..." He said grimly, before looking back up to his friend. "Time has retaken its teeth... But you-" Ryo looked across the bridge, where he

"But he, what? Lieutenant Commander Akyama?" A familiar voice culled. The trio turned to the owner of the voice, as she spun around from behind the Conn. Ryo calmed his surprise, as he began to piece the last few pieces together.

"Sorry ensign, but I haven't been a lieutenant commander in a long time..."

_'Well, at least now we know why she never responded to treatment...'_ Lieutenant Akyama thought, as he looked into the Vulcan's smiling face. Takato however, looked like he was ready to have an aneurism from trying to piece together everything in front of him...

"_Ensign_ T'shosh!? As in, Ensign T'shosh, from the _Prometheous's_ Hazard Alpha team?!" The commander asked. T'shosh chuckled at the commander's reaction to her.

"At this rate, he's not going to last very long, is he comman- Lieutenant...?" The ensign asked, crossing her arms as she eyed him amusingly. The lieutenant couldn't help but grin at the up-beat demeanor that the normally stoic Vulcan had adopted... The only question that remained in his mind, was how? Then suddenly, the scenery changed from that of the _Phoenix_, to the bridge of the _Deadalus_.

_"These answers must cease... He must ask, it."_ Came the Prophet whom had assumed captain Kanbara's form Ryo didn't budge, as he noticed that there where too many people this ships bridge...

_'That's weird, even with Ensign T'shosh here, there should still only be eight officer stations manned, so why are there nine?'_ He asked himself, as he recounted the officer stations once again, and again, he got the same number.

"What question?" The commander asked. All at once, the Prophets glanced at each other; almost as if, that was what they had been waiting for...

_"He does not realize it." _The one whom had taken Commander Wong's form answered.

"What!?" Takato asked, becoming slightly annoyed at the aliens' ambiguity. "What don't I realize!?"

_"Because the paradox has not yet ended..."_ Ryo felt the blood in his veins turn to ice, as he listened to T'shosh.

"The para-" Monodramon half-repeated, stunned by what he was hearing. Ryo on the other hand, was ready to tear off someone's head.

"Why? What's gone wrong; the causality loop should have been satisfied!" The lieutenant snapped. For the very first time in so long, his vision began to blur... After everything that they'd been through, everything they lost; after everyone who was now dead, was it all for naught. His blood felt like it was boiling at what he was feeling.

"Causality?" The commander repeated. Every prophet in the room turned to him, then to the lieutenant, whom was trying his hardest not to lose control.

_"You have the question,"_ Resonated the Prophets all at once. Ryo snapped out of his blinding rage, too stunned to react, when he realized,

"Oh my god..." He whispered, realizing what they where really saying...

_"And you have the answer. Now lieutenant, what are you going to do with it...?"_ T'shosh asked. Ryo looked her, his throat drying, as he tried to force the words out...

"T'shosh, are you-"

_"No."_ The ensign said, stopping Ryo before he could confirm what he was thinking._ "But, I will say this: They are coming."_ She said. Taken aback by her answer, the lieutenant stared into her sharp eyes incredulously, looking for the slightest clue that she was holding something, anything back.

_"They shall arrive, on the rings of the white bird of night..."_ The Prophet, whom resembled Rika, responded. Ryo watched the commander with curiosity, as watched a look of familiarity spread across his face, almost as if he knew, or should know, what they meant.

"White bird of night... Why does that sound familiar...?" Asked Takato, not paying the others any attention...

"...The white bird of night..." He repeated. Just as a feeling of increasing brightness began to overcome them; a Prophets who he didn't recognize as apart of the _Deadalus's_ crew, turn to them.

_"Take, and remember the tale of our demise... The tales of our Reckoning for you are all that is now left."_ She said. Then, just as the bright light overtook the trio, Ryo felt his eyes widen with realization, as he shouted...

"MOTHER!!!"

**Sickbay, UTS Deadalus, 0326 hrs.**

"No...!" Moaned ensign Jerry Kato, as she tossed in her sleep; the events of the day played out in her head over, and over again...

"KOJI!" She shouted, as she shot in to sitting position. Her bedding robes soaked from a cold sweat. Taking slow, deep breaths, she calmed her breathing, as she scanned the room.

"It was just a dream..." She said silently to herself, grabbing her chest, as her breathing returned to normal. She had been brought to sickbay several hours earlier, just after the fight had ended... She had collapsed from exhaustion, after she had reverted back to her human form. She glanced over to the two digivice that where sitting on the work station consol in the middle of the room. She had already awoken twice since she had brought back to the ship several hours ago, and each time from that one memory. She looked around the dark room to see that the lights where turned down to minimum, and the main office that separated the main treatment room, from the other service areas. The ensign activated the chronometer on the side of the biobed.

"Three thirty in the morning..." She whispered, as she once again looked around the empty room. Climbing off of the bed, she stepped over to the primary work station.

"Computer," She said, as she examined the consul's smooth surface. "What is the current status of Lieutenant Koji Minamoto?" The consol instantly came to life, as it processed her request.

_Boo boop. "Lieutenant Koji Minamoto has been terminated form active duty as of thirteen hours today."_ It replied. She could've had it elaborate, but she let it be... She didn't need to.

"Ensign, what are you doing up?" Spoke a familiar voice from behind. Jerry turned to see ensign Nonaka standing in the door way, holding a PADD in one hand, and a hypospray in the other.

"I-" She stopped herself, as she felt tears welling in her eyes. She slammed them shut, and nearly collapsed onto the edge of the consol, as she felt everything hit her all at once. Then, she felt something that she thought would never happen... She felt the other offer, grab hold of her, and pull her close. Stunned, Jerry took comfort in the other officer, as she returned the embrace.

"You don't have to say anything Jerry..." Whispered the other ensign, as she slowly comforted her. When Jerry felt as though she had calmed down enough, she pulled herself away from Rika, wiping away her own tears...

"I'm sorry Rika... I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright Jerry... You know you don't have too..." Said Rika, as she comforted her friend. It had been nearly half a day since she had been brought in, but the ensign could hardly remember anything from before she had been brought in.

"How's our patient?" Another familiar voice, this time slightly deeper then the first, appeared. Jerry looked up, and over Rika's shoulder to see her one, oldest friend in Starfleet.

"What're you doing up goggle-head?" She asked, feigning annoyance at the intruder.

"Nightmare again, couldn't sleep." He

"Takato-" She began but held herself back, feeling the urge to cry once again. Before she realized it, she felt another weight land softly on her shoulder. She opened her eyes once again to the dim light, and saw him standing beside her, grasping her shoulder gently. She tilted her head down towards the deck, feeling somewhat embarrassed for allowing her friends to see like this.

"Ya' know, I thought _you_ where supposed to be the ships consoler...?" Said Rika. Jerry turned up, shooting her collogue a surprised look.

"Rika..." The commander came, laughing slightly as he scolded the hazard medic. Jerry looked back over to the workstation where both digivice, _her_ digivices, were sitting, when something else clicked...

"The captains; the Akyama's, what happened!? Are they ok!?" She suddenly spouted, as she turned back to the commander.

"Calm down Jerry, you need to rest!" Said Rika, as she grabbed hold of her arm, as she tried to calm her down. The consoler however, had something very different in mind...

"Please! Takato, at least tell me if they're alright!" She pleaded, as she struggled against the medic, whom was actually having a hard time keeping restrained. But then, she felt the same familiar hands grab hold of both her shoulders, and immediately, she stopped.

"It's alright Jerry... They're fine." He said, a wan smile spreading across his tired face. "Gene, Captain Nonaka, lieutenant Akyama..." The commander went on, but Jerry was still a consoler, and she knew when someone was holding something back... And she knew exactly what it was.

"He's gone, isn't he?" She asked. The two officers remained silent, as they both tried to think of a way answer, but the silence was answer enough.

"The paradox," Said the ensign as she gathered her thoughts. "Is complete." The other two officers gave her startled looks, while she only stood their; her eyes dark.

"Takato, I want out." She said flatly. The commander calmed himself, as he took a small step back, and looked away in a different direction.

"Jerry, no matter where you go, some things just simply won't change-"

"I don't mean from Starfleet... I want to be assigned to a different department." Interrupted the ensign. Shocked, Takato looked back to his friend as she made her proclamation.

"But, Jerry-"

"Takato. When I first became apart of this crew, I swore to myself that I would protect this ship without even touching a single phaser... But in just about _every_ combat situation we've been in since, not only have a broken my promise to myself, but I also violated my Hippocratic Oath..." Jerry retorted before her superior could even finish his sentence. Takato opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly as he realized that he was at a complete loss for words. Thankfully, Rika filled in the gap for him...

"To heal, or at least, to do no harm." She said. Ensign Kato nodded in agreement.

"But Jerry, there's a fine line between killing in self defense, and incompetence." Said the other ensign in a comforting tone. Jerry however, wasn't having it...

"Not to me... A healer isn't always a soldier." The pair looked to each other, as they exchanged ever darkening glances to each other. But what surprised them was what the ensign was an about to ask for...

"Commander Matsuki, I want to be reassigned, to the Hazard Team."

**Deck 3, Captain's Quarters, UTS Deadalus, 2345 hrs.**

"Computer, end personal log..." Captain Flamon muttered as he leaned back in his desk chair. He'd herd the news from Yamaki about the events that had transpired planet-side and to say that he upset, would have been an understatement. On the one hand, he had just lost his chief tactical/security officer- one of his best friends... And not just one, but _four_ other fleet officers not only broke, but smashed the temporal prime-directive to pieces. But on the other hand, a large-scale disaster had been diverted, and everything that his friend had been, including his own spirit, was stored safely in the hands of one of his own crew. The captain stared out his viewport for a moment, and watched the dozens upon dozens of ships busily worked, or lazily float around the blue-green orb below.

_Boo boo beep_. His door chimed. The young captain sighed, tearing his mind away from his contemplation.

"It's open." The doors parted to reveal one of the few people that the captain had neither expected nor wanted to see.

"Beck, what are you doing here?" The captain took a few steps into the room, and squinted in the dim lighting.

"It's like a cave in here..." He said, as he scanned the room's dim interior. The hybrid huffed as he turned back to his desktop. He looked into the image of the lieutenant, and his profile that was still displayed on the LCD's dark display.

"You shouldn't blame them you know..." Said the other captain. Takuya arched a brow, as he slightly turned back towards Beck.

"What?" He asked, but when he didn't get an answer, he turned back to the doorway, planning to glair daggers at the captain for his annoying habit of ambiguity. But when he finally saw where he was; holding one of the only pictures in the room in his hands, the captain though he saw something in the other that he hadn't expected; tears.

"Your lucky, ya' know that?" Flamon didn't know what he meant, but he was still fighting back the urge to punch the other captain.

"What the hell is _that_ supposed ta' mean!?" He shouted, stomping to his feet. "One of my crew is dead! Another on the brink between sanity and rage!" Takuya spat.

"A captain is supposed to protect his crew; I should have been down there-"

"And what? Takuya, according to Rika's report there was nothing you could have done. Stop dwelling on the past; instead..." The captain stopped as he tried to steady himself. Slightly confused by his college's behavior, Takuya felt his anger subside for a brief moment as he watched the tears that he had been holding back, now fall freely.

"I'm sorry captain... But," He stiffened his jaw, as he calmed himself. "It was hard to go through this the first time around..." Now Takuya was completely lost.

_'"First time around", does he mean this has happened before!?'_ Thought the young captain, as he watched the dark look spread across his friends face.

"A long time ago, my former commanding officer; an El Aurian who called herself "_Strell_" got herself caught in a pogo... Along with several members of the _Stargazer's_ original command crew." Explained Beck. Takuya felt a brow jolt at his words.

"A pogo? As in a Pogo-Paradox?" Asked the captain. Beck nodded in acknowledgement, as he continued to explain.

"It wasn't just one, Takuya... We got ourselves caught in over a dozen of them that stemmed just from that one, little inciden-" He stopped, and captain Kanbara watched, as the dark looked in his eyes somehow changed.

"Because of that, I saw something that no human should ever see..." Turning his head, he locked Takuya in an icy, frozen look that the young captain couldn't break out of, even if he wanted...

"For a brief second, I could see everything... All that is, was, and could be..." Shocked, Takuya stared at the elder command officer as though to do otherwise might so change his fate. But then, captain beck once again did something that the hybrid hadn't expected, he lifted his hand, and pulled off his glove...

"But this is wrong..." He said. "Because I also saw multiple events that could become my own death..." He said, as he flexed his hand, hissing slightly, as the scar that prominently shone in the dim lighting shifted.

"Just what do ya' mean, how is this all wrong?" Takuya asked, now intrigued and slightly scared by what the other captain was implying. Beck turned back to him, the sad look in his eyes now engulfed in what he could only call pain and fear.

"When I saw all that could be, in that instant, I also came to understand what must never come to pass... And this scar," He motioned his hand, as if it acknowledgement might change its purpose. "Was apart of all those things." Takuya looked out the view port behind him, as he sifted through everything that the captain had told him, and for some reason, something not making sense to him.

"Wait a second, if ya' know what's gonna happen, then why don't you just stop those root events from happening in the first place?" He asked. The other captain grinned wanly, as he looked the younger captain in the eye.

"Because, the human brain was never meant to hold that kind of information... It's just too much." He said, as he began putting his glove back on. "So, in order to keep me from losing everything, I had Q limit the flow so that only information relevant to me could be accessed only when those events come close enough to the present." Beck replied. Again, Takuya thought it over for a moment... Yes, it did make slightly more sense but there was still one thing bugging him...

"Alright, I get all of that... But, why are you telling me all of this?" He asked, and in that second, the look in the elder captain's eyes darkened...

"Because captain Kanbara, there is a way- Well, two ways really to still set things right... But before either of them can happen-" He stopped, and looked toward the deck plating once again; his eyes becoming distant, as he swallowed hard.

"No one has died, but you will lose one more."

**Turbocar 4, USS Prometheous, 0756 hrs.**

"Do you really think he's gonna cooperate?" Asked lieutenant commander Follider, as he, lieutenant Renamon, and Captain Fink rode the lift to their destination. The captain had only been released from sickbay moments earlier, after backing the Doctor into a corner about his prognosis.

"Actually I do commander... Lieutenant Akyama was only ensuring that a bad situation didn't get worse by completing the paradox. If he had any ulterior motive, then he would have disappeared when he had the chance..." Replied the captain, as he kept his eyes locked on the doors to the turbocar.

"We don't know that he still doesn't captain." Said the lieutenant from behind the two officers. Fink shot her a backwards glance, as a small grin spread across his face.

"True, but I don't see any need to react otherwise. If he does, then that also means he has a means to get off of this ship that we're not aware of, nor one that we'd be able to guard against--Either way, this is the only place where we can keep a close enough eye on him." Replied the captain. The kitsune lifted her head in acknowledgement, just as the turbolift stopped.

"Understood sir." She said as the doors parted, and the small group walked onto the deck. The rest of their short journey was carried out in careful silence, as they made their way down the nearly deserted corridor.

"Sir!" Called out an officer whom was standing beside one pair of reinforced doors. As the group neared them, the lieutenant moved in front of the captain. The heavy-duty doors parted, revealing the sleek silver room, which nearly shone in the light.

"Captain!" Replied the lone guard standing at the security station, as he snapped his heels to attention. The trio quietly stepped into the room, leaving the doors open behind them.

"At ease, before you pull something ensign..." A wan smile spread across the young officer's lips, as Fink watched the soldier visibly relax. The man had been a soldier for the Libyan Military before becoming an officer for the new United Earth Federated Starfleet.

"Hello there captain... Sleep well in the Doc's Sickbay?" Asked the lieutenant. His hair was slightly haggard, he had removed both his uniform tunic, as well as his over shirt, and the dark rings under his eyes didn't blend well with the happy-go-lucky front that he was putting up. Fink shot his security officer a querying glance.

"I don't really remember the Doctor kept sedated for most of the night... But tell me; are the beds in there really that uncomfortable?" He asked. The lieutenant tilted his head slightly, as a light chuckle escaped.

"Well it's not home-sweet-home, but then again, it could've been the dream..." Said Ryo, as he rubbed his hair slightly, patting it down in an unsuccessful attempt to tame it. The captain however, was very much intrigued...

"A dream?" He said as he arched his brow. The lieutenant looked back up to the command officer, his grin melting into a wan smile.

"Well actually, it wasn't really a dream... It was more like, an empathic communication via side-space from a non-corporeal species." Explained the lieutenant. The other two officer's looked at each other in confusion, as they both tried to make sense of his riddle. The captain however, was already several steps ahead.

"Captain Sisko..." He replied grimly. The lieutenant bowed his head as he again ran his hand through his hair.

"Unfortunately, the captain wasn't there..." Said the lieutenant, his voice reflecting a light pondering. Now it was Fink's turn to bow his head...

"That's not what I meant..." The captain said.

"What?" Said lieutenant Follider, letting his confusion become known as he tried to follow. The captain however, decided to ignore him for the moment.

"Then, what did you mean captain?" Ryo asked, ignoring the acting first officer. Fink felt himself shutter, as he remembered back so far to the past...

"I mean mister Akyama, that you and commander Matsuki aren't the only ones who've been contacted by non-corporeal species..." He replied. The lieutenant raised an eyebrow as he made the connection.

"You don't mean-"

"Unfortunately. I was told directly by them; the planet Bajor and its wormhole have both been attacked... Captain Sisko is dead."

**Officer's Conference Lounge, UTS Deadalus, 0912 hrs.**

"I'm open to suggestions." Said Captain Flamon from the head of the silver table. Seated to either side of him, sat his first officer, commander Matsuki, and his chief operations officer, lieutenant commander Wong. The pair glanced at each other in silent communication, as they each worked out their own rational.

"I believe lieutenant Orimoto should be promoted to replace Koji, she _is_ after all the most qualified person on board..." Answered the young ops officer, as he set a PADD onto the table's smooth surface. The captain shot a glance over to his first officer, whom seemed to be drifting in and out.

"Anything commander?" He asked. Takato snapped out of his trance and immediately began searching between the two for any clue on what to say.

"I'm- eh--What was the question?" He staggered. Flamon took a deep breath as he realized what was happening, but decided not to push the subject on the commander.

"Henry just suggested that we promote lieutenant Orimoto to chief of security..." Takato seemed to take that thought to mind, as he flashed back to his lost state.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." He replied. Takuya shot him a querying glance.

"Why not?" The young captain asked, but instead of seeing the other officer fall back into his state of preoccupation he was instead greeted with a steeled look.

"Sir, I was approached by ensign Kato last night... She wants a transfer to the Hazard Team." The commander replied. The young commander felt every hair on his tail stand on end, as the thought of his ships consoler being placed into such a dangerous department... Now, he understood why his first officer was so preoccupied.

"I went to check on her again before I came to the meeting. I found a dozen or so PADD's on starship security and Hazard Team protocol's spread around her bed..." Explained the commander. The young captain looked down at his drink; a cup of Deneb... A milky, sweet tea from Denobula, as he thought back to Haldikar.

"...She seemed so set on the subject; I didn't know what to say! I'm worried about her captain." The commander trailed off, his gaze shifting towards the view port. Flamon thought back to the report that he'd gotten from Captain Picard after their second battle with Commander Rek'na, and how much he had praised her for how she had acted during the preceding battle. Granted, he'd already made up his mind about giving her a promotion before walking into this meeting, but considering what was happening to the ensign, he decided that now should be as good a time as any...

"Transfer request, granted." He said. The commander looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

"Sir, I don't think-"

"I agree with the captain." Second commander Wong, cutting the commander off. Takato looked over to his friend; shock filtering through his system.

"I- Jerry can't become apart of the Hazard Team, it's too dangerous!" The commander argued as he stood from his seat while slamming his hands on the table. His own eyes met with Henry's; unfiltered fury, and determination filtering through both of them. Flamon stood and placed a quite hand on each of their shoulders. The commander looked over to him, his fury subsiding only in the slightest.

"Commander, I know this hurts but ensign Kato is capable of taking care of herself..." He saw the commander's eyes light up in only what he could say was realization, but still he continued.

"I know it's hard to accept, and frankly I felt the same way when Zoë asked for that same assignment..." The commander landed back in his seat with a muffled thump; defeated, and hurt. Things that he already knew very well.

"I- I suppose I already knew that... But it doesn't make it any easier." Takato said exhaustedly. Flamon looked out the port that the young tamer had been glued to only a few moments ago, and watched as a runabout glazed past. The planet below glistening, even as the night side of the world was really the only thing visible at the moment.

"It's never easy commander; letting someone go, to allow them to grow." He felt the commanders gaze lift once again back to meet his, never the less, he kept watching the port. After giving him a few minutes to let the commander absorb it all, he turned back to the duo, suppressing a grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth as he noticed the commander's eye's, or to be more accurate, the shine that had been restored to them.

"Well, if that's it, then-"

_Boo boop. "Captain, incoming massage from Hypnos control."_ Flamon sighed at the interruption, if only he could've waited a few more seconds before interrupting.

_'Note to self, have J.P. reacquainted with communiqué procedure...'_ He silently thought to himself as he rolled his eyes.

"Go ahead."

_"An emergency counsel session has been called at auxiliary command sir... It starts in fifteen minutes."_ The ensign said, and without delay, he pinched the bridge of his nose, as a sigh of annoyance escaped his throat. Looking back up to his two senior-most officers, his gaze began shifting between them, and the door.

"Dismissed."

**Earth Prime Resistance Cell 277, 0914 hrs.**

"No- NO! NEYAHHHHHHH!!!" Screamed a man, as a drone pierced his neck with a pair of tubules that protruded from his right hand. Instantly, the man's cries faded from the room, only to instead to begin resonating within the hum elsewhere.

"Shhh, it's going to be alright dear... Welcome to your new home." Said a young woman as she laid her hand upon his chest. Almost instantly, the humans internal screaming faded into the blissful hum beyond; restoring order to the song... Her song.

_'Yes, such a wonderful, home of horror...'_ Spat the voice of her host once again. The Queen ignored her host, as she watched the implants grow, and spread throughout her newest family member's body. Normally, if a Queen's host retained it's unique persona after program unpacking, the voice would still eventually fade, and be absorbed by her own--But sum how, she was not only able to resist, but was also keeping her form expanding into other regions of her mind.

"Not half bad for someone with so very few resources..." Said the insufferable captain. The Queen refused to give her the honor acknowledgment, as she stepped over to the half-built station, and began working its smooth surface. Although she could have simply instructed one of her drones to have done it for her, she enjoyed watching the two guess at what she was doing. Within seconds, most of her children whom had been somewhat idle while making repairs froze.

_"We will comply."_ Came their simulations replay. Many of them stepping up to several non-essentials stations, and began dismantling them, while others beamed out of the room.

_'So you're finally taking Oich's advice and changing the curtains?'_ Jabbed her host. Had the mere thought of it not been unsatisfying, she might have actually laughed, but there where more important things to attend to.

"You just can't wait to claim your new prize, can you?" Said the captain from behind her; her face taunting as she grinned deviously. The Queen on the other hand, simply ignored her, as she walked over to her regeneration alcove. Tapping in several codes into its adjacent control consol, she felt the hum of her children, as they worked to secure their newest possession.

_'...So that's what your planning. It's going to fail you know...'_ Her host reverberated as she continued to run her scans. Then the noise grew loud again... Her children had begun securing their newest collective. She increased her input speed; honestly, it was such a pain to have to do such a thing... But until they had recovered enough of there numbers, she was going to be short handed. Just as she completed her designs, she herd the screams of the new voices die to a whisper, merging with the song as had the other.

_"The collective has grown."_ Spun the songs rhythm beautifully. She smiled to herself at her accomplishments. In the few short months since those foolish humans of the Anti-Starfleet resistance cell had captured her host and begun torturing her for information; not only had she assimilated several of their cells, but they had also remained hidden from the growing plague of the fleet above. And now, they had finally achieved the greatest of their goals... They had successfully assimilated the new Starfleet technologies.

_"Resistance encountered... Preparing for assimilation."_ Hummed the song. In her mind, she could see the lone human whom had avoided capture until now. She could feel the voice of her host stiffen, as she watched the injured, and bloody woman fight for her life; killing, and disabling drones as she fought her way through what they both knew was the heart of a starship.

"No. Restrained her." The collective's harmonious reply was instantaneous, even as she deactivated her alcoves consol. turning to her guest; she locked gazes with the steel of the humanoid woman standing in the middle of the dark room.

"Heading out for a stroll already? I hope the door hits you on the way out." Spat the captain. Again, the Queen ignoring her little quip, she watched as a pair of drones began dismantling her alcove for transport.

"You should watch your tongue; you may not have it for very much longer." Feeling the smirk of her counterpart as the room around her dissolved; only to be replaced by the partially assimilated visage of her new starships engineroom. The room itself was dark, with only the blue-white glow of the warp-core, and the green lights of the partially assimilated room to illuminate it.

"You!" Said a desperate and shaking voice from behind her. The Queen turned to see the bruised, and cut face of Commander Rachel Allenis, the first of the _Aventine_, Intrepid-class Starship. Yes, it was all becoming clear to her now... Everything about this ship, its crew, its mission, indeed, everything about the fleet above was becoming clear to her.

"Commander Wrigley, why are you doing this!?" Pleaded commander Allenis, struggling with her drones iron grips as she did so. In her mind, she could feel the real commander's distress toward her counterpart. Although she enjoyed watching her host writhe in her moment of weakness, there where more pressing matters to attend to... She smiled kindly towards the commander, as she allowed her drones to bring her to her feet.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, commander. I've herd so much about you from your crewmates." Even as that last word escaped her lips, the commander immediately began squirming in her captors grips in pure rage.

"You bitch! Let me go!"

_'Why are you toying with her?'_ The commander's question came almost as a surprise. After all, she never really kept anything secrete from her; there was never any point to it. Deciding it best to ignore her host for the moment, she turned her attention back to the commander.

"Such a vile tongue... I can't have that mouths before my collective now can I?" She grinned inwardly, at the two commander's confutation; even as the younger finally pieced her newest plan together.

_'No... You're not going to-'_

"What are you-?"

"You should feel lucky--To receive the collectives highest honor." The confusion on the commander's face grew frightful, as she realized what the '_honor_' she meant was.

_'You can't! You can't give it to her, I won't let you!'_ The Queen ignored her hosts protests, as she came close to the new officer; so close, that she could feel the surface of her flesh lose all warmth, even as she held her fisted hand up to her neck, and injected her with her own specially encoded nanites.

"No- The Royal Protocol..."

**Command Counsel Chamber, 1003 hrs.**

"Calm down everyone, please!" Shouted mister Marcunou as stood at the podium at the front of the room. Before him, sat the captains of most of their current Starships in-service. That is, all but a select few...

_"We needn't to wait; we should begin the meeting, now!"_ Shouted one commander.

_"Agreed. If _any_ of the other captain's where going to be here, then they would have sent a communiqué!"_ Shouted another.

_"It's those damn flag officer's; they always think they can-"_

"-Think we can, what, captain Waltz?" Asked Captain Fink, as he, captain Nonaka, and captain Flamon all walked into the well-lit chamber. The rest of the commander's immediately hushed themselves, as they watched for their compatriot's answer. When one didn't come, the young captain became impatient and began making his way towards the man.

"I'm waiting for an answer captain..." Fink knew what his colleague had mint by what he was about to say, but he wanted to hear him say it.

"Is that really necessary Gene? You know what his stances are regarding our presence here." Rang a sudden and unexpected voice from across the room. The captain turned to see his oldest friend sitting on the other side of the room in the front row; his legs propped up on the table in front of him, and his arms cradling his head as he leaned back in his chair.

"Dennis... Why do you always sit in the one place that I don't notice in any room?" Fink asked, trying to suppress the wan grin that threatened to wean its way to the surface. Beck on the other hand brought both his arms and legs down to their normal positions. Locking glances with his old friend, he folded his hands atop his desks surface as a wan grin began tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Because, I enjoy the quiet--You should try it sometime; you'd be surprised at what you can see from this side of the isle." This time Fink didn't hold back in keeping his own grin hidden, after all, it wasn't everyday that your best friend began quoting your own past--especially in front of a room of rowdy, opinionated, high-ranking personnel.

"Enough!" Interrupted Marcunou. "Captain Fink, if you would _please_ take your seat, we'll begin the meeting..." Noticing that the two officer's who had followed him in had already found several places in the front row while he had been exchanging quips with the other captain. Deciding that he'd already made enough of an ass of himself, the young Tamer took the vacant seat at the middle-end of the front row; the next to Waltz. At the front of the room, Marcunou cleared his throat as he shuffled through a few of his PADD's.

"As I hope you're all well aware, a few hours ago, we received an encrypted Starfleet distress call from an unknown source. The carrier wave that we received it on was that belonging to the Borg." Fink gasped as he herd that last word.

_'The Borg?! No! Commander Wriggly!'_ Thought Gene, as he realized what had happened. Marcunou droned on about the threat that they posed, but the young captain wasn't listening. In fact the only thing that he could think of was the _incident_ that occurred over two years earlier.

~~~~~Flashback~~~~~

_"-Captain, the warp-drive just stopped working."_ Said Guilmon from his station at the helm. Gene watched the screen patiently, as a pair of heavily damaged Borg Cubes immediately changed course, and began closing on them.

_"Shields are at maximum captain!"_ The voice of lieutenant Renamon resonated from her station, her anger prevalent; the captain took little comfort in that little tidbit of information, after all, they were going up against the Borg, and when it came to them, their shields may just as well not even be there--Especially when such beings were this desperate.

_"You! It looks like dey' wanna' talk, um gettin' a message from one of the Cubes!"_ Rang Terriermon from the far right of the bridge. Fink hardened his glair as cocked a quick nod to the ensign. By the time Fink had turned his eyes screen had blinked on to the Borg message, but the image that greeted him was the last one that he'd expected.

_"We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. We shall add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture shall adapt to service as us. Resistance is futile."_ Said the distorted voice from over the screens speakers. Fink stared at the pale face that lay before him in horror, and something else... Something that he just couldn't quite put his finger on.

~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~

"-We don't have the resources--besides, the starship _Aventine_ should be perfectly able to take care of-"

"Jackass..." Uttered Fink. Marcunou, along with every other command officer in the room turned to him in both curiosity, and astonishment at _what_ he had said. Fink crossed his arms, as he leaned back in his seat; steeling his jaw from lashing out undeservedly at the next person who moved.

"Excuse me, Captain Fink, but _you_ aren't in charge of managing this-"

"You're a jackass Marcunou." He could feel the barely suppressible rage growing within him, even as he stared at the lone emissary. "They are _The Borg_! If they've found a way to set-up a foot-hold on this planet _without_ our noticing, then just one little ship is not going to stop them!" Marcunou glared daggers at the captain for his outburst, but slowly schooled himself back as he coughed lightly.

"As troubling as it is, it has been-"

"With all do respect, Gene is right... It would be one thing if the Borg had assimilated a ship with advanced cloaking technology, but for them to have evaded detection _this_ long puts us all at great danger!" Interrupted Captain Picard. Maintaining his composure, Marcunou ignored the elderly command officer's outburst.

"As much as I appreciate your concerned, every report we've gotten from the _Aventine_ since they severed, and began dismantling procedures of the Borg's strong hold; the anti-assimilation procedures devised by _Voyager_, and used you yourself in similar situations have proven sufficient in this matter." Fink felt his breath hitch in surprise at the government liaison's words. He knew of their assimilation-combat procedures, he was on of the officer's who helped write them, but after everything they'd gone through, the most success they ever had was minimal, to say the least; no matter what condition the Borg where in, they always managed to deal the Federation a powerful blow. Marcunou cleared his throat again, a light smirk playing across his face.

"If you don't believe me, captains, then why don't you ask you're collogue, Captain O'Connor, of the Starship _Aventine_..." Curtly, Marcunou tapped the key pad on the side of the podium, bringing the screen behind him t life; the image of an older man wearing a Starfleet uniform lighting-up across its plane. The man smiled at the group before him.

"_Marcunou, what can I do for you?_" Staring at the screen in disbelief, the young captain simply couldn't believe that what he was seeing was real.

"Captain O'Connor, we've assembled the entirety of the fleet command counsel, would you please be so kind as to explain to them what your status is thus far?" The grin on the older officer's face faded as he leaned onto the surface of his desk, folding his hands as he lowered his head slightly. As he spoke, whatever amusement had been in his voice beforehand had simply disappeared.

_"Ya' know, we _are_ trying to disconnect a few hundred drones without them activating again... Call back later."_ Fink recognized the grim tone of his voice; he knew it all too vividly, but still, something simply wasn't sitting right with him.

"You look pale Douglass, what's really happening there?" Echoed a voice from the other side of the room. Recognizing the voice, Fink cocked his head to captain Waltz, whom in term, had his own gaze locked with O'Connor's.

_"It's not good here, Matt--We lost several people before-"_ He paused as glanced away from the screen. _"Before we were able to disconnect the central interplexing node..."_ His heart stopped for a split second, understanding freezing his mind.

"What happened? Who did you-"

"There's no way-" Fink said to himself. "There's no way... It shouldn't exist! Not without-" He bit his tong as he tried to hold himself back. His mind conjuring up images that still haunted him in his nightmares.

"Captain?" Began Waltz. "Gene, what's going-"

"Commander Wrigley, Matt..." Began Picard. "Several years ago, the Borg made the attempt to assimilate her in order to make her the hives new Queen." The somber tone in the captain's voice evident, the room fell silent. Only the sounds of the machinery humming in the background on the _Aventine_ transmission could be herd as the young captain locked his gaze upon the center of the giant screen.

"All Borg drones are equipped with what's called, an interplexing beacon. It's used to keep record of every command that drone receives from the collective, but if it's removed improperly-" Fink cut himself off, steeling himself to hold back.

"Captain O'Conner, have you discovered anything as to how the resistance cell was able to construct something such as that base yet?" The tone of the liaison's voice quickened as he spoke, partially, Fink was grateful for the interruption, but somehow, there was something to it that made him subconsciously brace himself.

_"Yeah... We've discovered that the equipment used to drill-out the cavern, is consistent with Federation technology."_

_'What!? Federation, how?'_ Thought Fink, partially disbelieving what he was hearing. It was completely within the realm of possibility that the technology had been stolen, but to use it to construct such a facility without them noticing...

"Just as I thought..." Surprised at the liaison's answer, Fink locked his gaze on Marcunou whose face had become the very definition 'content'--Maybe, even happy from the captain's answer.

"I can see it in your smile, Marcunou," Captain Beck began, breaking his impassive silence. "There's something that you're not telling us." Caught off-guard by the captain's words, Marcunou cocked his head to the virtually silent commander. Dennis kept his head bowed low enough so that his hair covered his eyes, but Gene knew what was going on with him. The young captain wasn't just stating a simple fact, he was visibly afraid of what the answer- the solution that he'd come with- was right.

"Perceptive, captain... I was going to wait until we were finished with all of the _minor_ business first, but since you've already brought it up, I suppose we'll just have to skip ahead..." Marcunou tapped another set of controls. "Show them in." Just then, the twin doors on the other side of the room parted, allowing a group of six to enter the chamber. Fink watched the four officers, dressed in full Hazard Team uniform, as they escorted a single pair of short officers into the room. I took him a moment, but as the group made their way before the counsel, Gene felt his irises strain from what he was seeing.

"Captain Nonaka, it's good to see you again." Ryo smiled confidently at the group, even as his magnetic anklet blinked, and beeped, warning everyone that it was active. The young captain felt his blood boil at what he was seeing; he could stand seeing his own crewmen under suspicion, but _this_ had already gone far beyond that...

"What the hell is the meaning of this?!" Fink hollered, jumping from his seat.

"Exactly what it seems, _Captain_. I am exercising my power to bring these criminals to justice-"

"Like hell! Lieutenant Akyama, and ensign Monodramon are under _my_ command, you don't have the power to usurp any of my officers from _my_ ship!" The grin on Marcunou's lips grew at the young captain's agitation, all the while, Fink was fighting back the urge to punch the man.

"Our command-center was attacked, Gene! Our people killed; attacked with our own technology! Someone has to be held responsible." Growling, Fink lowered himself back into his seat, not taking his eyes off of the man before him. Just as he was about to bark his own retaliation, a noticeable chuckle emanated from beside him.

"Interesting..." Began one of the other captains; standing from his seat to the side, he began making his slow way to the front. "So that's what this is all about. Not only charge some junior officers with treason, but also have their commanding officer held responsible before a full counsel. But why, Marcunou?" He stopped about half-way to his podium. Bringing his right thumb up to his chin, while he rested the supporting limb with his other hand in mock thought, he smiled slightly as he looked the liaison square in the eye.

"If you have something to say, _Captain Beck_, then please, go right ahead..." The liaison leaned onto the edges of the stand, just as Gene realized what was happening. This wasn't a trail, it was coup!

"Just nine little words Marcunou; One-zero-five-nine delta-Charlie. Carrier wave frequency six." An encryption sequence? Marcunou's eyes widened from the captain's words, and for the first time, Captain Fink saw something in the man that he'd never seen before: Fear.

"We've watching you Marcunou;" He motioned to Flamon, then to Rika. "Ever since you tried to access the _Deadalus's_ classified, and encrypted databases..." The lieutenant began, not even bothering to make eye contact with him. But instead of worry, Marcunou's grin made its way back to the surface.

"Really, Dennis? And just what little secrets have _you_ been hiding, hmm? You are after all lieutenant Akyama's duplicate..." The confidence never left neither Beck's, nor Ryo's lips. Instead, the enigmatic captain reached into his side pocket, and out he pulled a white modify card.

"This." He answered simply. "This card, contains everything that I am--Rather, what I had once become." He locked a deadly gaze onto the man. "This modify card, contains all of my abilities as a-"

_"Planetary defense to Command Chamber!"_ The hurried voice of the crewman penetrated throughout the chamber, cutting the pair off. Annoyed at the interruption, Marcunou slapped the controls on the edge of his podium.

"Mister Debenture, you better have-"

"No! There's no need for that Marcunou--think I already know what he's talking about..." Fink was surprised by the captain. Up until now, he'd been the most suspicious and out-spoken of all of them; Starfleet, as well as Hypnos. The aged commander stood from his seat, and following the example of the _Stargazer's_ commanding officer, walked briskly to the screen.

"Your face Douglass; your still pale as a ghost..." Not looking away from the screen, the two locked their gazes. "Ensign Debenture, your message, does it have anything to do with the signal from the _Aventine_?" It hit him. Why hadn't any of them seen it before? Fink looked the screen over once more; he looked into Captain O'Connor's eyes, and all that he saw, was a stark darkness.

_"Yes sir! We just finished checking the _Aventine's_ signal; they're broadcasting on a Borg carrier wave!"_ The entire room gasped at the announcement; that is, with the exception of captain's Waltz, Beck, and Ryo. Marcunou spun to face the captain on the screen.

"O'Connor-" He stopped. The Image of Captain Douglass O'Connor disappearing, only to be replaced by a ghoulishly familiar image of the _Aventine's_ engine room, as well as a partially-assimilated woman.

_"He is correct."_ A sincere smile arose from stone-blue lips as the form of the captain materialized behind her._ "We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Lower your shields, and surrender your ships. We shall add your biological, and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture shall adapt to serve as us. Resistance is futile."_ The signal died, leaving behind a sea of static. Stiffening his already rigid stance, the ominous captain turned to Marcunou.

"We'll deal with you later..." Scowling, he cocked his head to one of the guards, and in less then an instant, the liaison was being pushed towards the exit.

"You'll pay for this, _captain_." Coolly, Beck turned back towards the group of captain's.

"Unfortunately, we don't have time to debate this. All captains are to return to their ships, and track down the _Aventine_. As of right now, I am authorizing the use of Protocol Epsilon. If anyone disagrees, then say so now." The firmness of his voice resonated throughout the hall, forcing everyone to hear the normally lax captain out. Glancing around the other command officers, most of whom had already begun making their ways to the floor, the young captain could see in the way they had all stopped, that none of them where willing to object. Surely many of them would try to have him removed from command, but right now, they didn't have much of a choice.

"Don't you dare!" Captain Watz, not even bothering to face the young captain angrily retorted. Surprised, Fink glared at the man.

"...Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking to Dennis; I'm talking to the rest of you. Doug- Captain O'Connor was my best friend, and those Borg- They took him. Controlled him. Erased him... Those bastards don't deserve this. As of right now, I am taking emergency command of this counsel, and as such, I am initiating Protocol Alpha! Blow the _Aventine_ out of the heavens... And then Hell.

**Main Bridge, USS Stargazer, 1030 hrs.**

"-The _Prometheous_'ll be fine without you Gene; Nazism's a great scientist, but he can also take care of those around him." Captain Beck jogged to his command chair as he, Captain Fink, lieutenant Akyama, and ensign Monodramon stepped onto the dimmed bridge. The other command officer stopped just before the forward-turbolift latch with Ryo in tow beside him. He'd tried to return to his own ship, but his second officer had already raised shields, and were too entrenched in chasing down the lost Intrepid-class vessel. Gazing around the circular nerve-center of the newly refitted Galaxy X-class ship, he couldn't help but be reminded of his own; His friends, his family, his home.

"You know, I could use Monodramon manning the main science station--If you wouldn't mind, captain...?" Quirking his left eyebrow, the young captain glanced toward the small rookie sitting in the seat next to him. With a grin, the commander vacated his spot, making a quick scramble for the port science station. With a quick nod, he made his way to take over the first officer's station.

"It's better then just being a third wheel... I guess" Reflecting his predecessor's grin, as he set himself down in the seat's pleather cushion. Looking back towards the turbolift, he noticed that the pair they'd beamed up with had already moved; lieutenant Akyama to the main engineering consol beside the second rear turbolift; situated behind lieutenant commander Monodramon, and ensign Monodramon to the auxiliary science station beside him.

"Everyone, statues!" Just barely giving time to log into his command station, everyone whom was manning one of the many stations lining the command oval immediately begun updating him on where exactly they where. He watched their swift, and precise answers; no jokes, no sarcasm, all business--the ideal Starfleet crew. The young acting first officer couldn't help but see how this crew worked--Every action taken, efficient. Every piece of information, rigid. Every thought imagined, meticulous... Just like the Borg; exactly like _his_ first officer.

_Erer erer, erer erer._ Fink broke out of his musings, cocking his head up to the Klingon behind him, standing over the tactical station. "Captain, I have the _Aventine_ on sensors--They've just emerged from the planet's upper Stratosphere!" Beck's gaze hardened as he locked his eyes to the center of the main viewer.

"On screen." As the screen changed its visage, for a moment, the captain struggled to see anything, something.

"Why can't we see them?!" Fink asked, turning back to the lieutenant manning the arched consol. He noticed the irritated look on his face as the Klingon officer practically punched the workstation.

"T'Ok'cHa! (tah-ook-shh-ha / Shit) They've deflected their image off of a century-satellite; I can't find them-" The deck suddenly lurched, forcing almost everyone to loose their balance faster then the inertial dampeners could compensate for their sudden change.

"Direct hit! Shields down by thirteen percent!" Grappling the sides of their seats, the two captain's looked at each other in a silent conversation, as they both came up with a plan. With a quick nod, Fink jumped across the bridge to the ops station, where, as the bridge rocked violently once again, steadied himself with the back of the androids seat.

"B4, open up a direct line-of-sight transmission to the satellite network and input the _Aventine's_ transponder code."

"Sir?" Pausing in his work, the ensign turned, questioning the officer's order. "The Borg do not use transponder codes to control their ships, instead they-"

"I'm well aware of that ensign," Cutting through the Soong Android's explanation of Borg technology. "but that's still a Federation Starships, and I doubt that this new Queen has had the time to shut down her ships engines for the code reset; now ensign, that's an order!" Not wasting any more time, B4 pulled up the seemingly useless string of numbers.

"Mister Roganko, on my command, access the _Aventine's_ main computer, and initiate _all_ of the emergency reactor, and fuel storage ejection commands!" The lights on the bridge dimmed, as the impact of another volley sent a surge through several systems, burning many of them out. The silent hum of the deck plating grew even dimmer, forcing Fink to grasp a firmer grip on the ensign's seat as he felt his boots loosing their contact with the ground.

"Done!" Shouted the ensign over the din of the crew, as the repair teams scurried about trying to keep the ship working, just as another blast rocked the ship. Using the now partially disabled artificial gravity, the young captain pushed off of the ops seat, sending himself soaring across the bridge back to his seat.

"Codes received, accessing!" Shouted the Klingon from behind. But within seconds of his announcement, every station on the bridge began blinking; the ominous green of Borg software began appearing across all of their terminals.

_Boo boop. "Engineering to bridge; what the hell are ya' doing up there, we're being hacked by the Borg! I've already lost control of the nano-repair systems!"_ Fink leapt up from his seat, landing on the upper part of the bridge to assist the lieutenant with his tactical station.

"Shit! They're doing the same to the other ships!" Shouted the other captain as he worked from the security station.

"He's right; the _Oasis_, _Albatross,_ and the _Kuroyoshi_ have all been disabled!" Finished commander Monodramon. He turned calmly away from his station, even as the Borg software continued to assimilate their systems. Then suddenly, the rumbling and the rattling of the shields stopped. The lighting returned the full intensity, as the green symbols stopped spreading and even began to slightly recede, as the partially assimilated, _Intrepid­_-class starship halted its approach just off of their bow.

"Ensign-"

_Beep beep beep._ "I've lost weapons control!" Fink looked down at his own systems, checking to make sure that his ears weren't deceiving him. Behind him, he could hear the foot falls of commander Monodramon, as rushed over to the engineering station, where lieutenant Akyama was down beneath the consol, tinkering with its innards.

"Confirmed! Launchers are off-line, and phasers are powering down!" It didn't make sense; if the Borg had control over their ship, then why shut down their weapons? Instead, why not use it to attack the rest of the fleet? Unfortunately, the answer to the young captain's question came far too quickly...

"Dorsal shields dropping!" The green silhouette of a Borg transporter beam vibrated in the front of the bridge. As the shimmer faded, Fink gripped the edge of the consol, while the lieutenant beside him trained his phaser on the trio. One of the drones appeared to be disabled, as the other two drones were grasping its arms to keep it up. The two functional drones appeared to be incomplete--Their Borg armor wasn't fully developed; their scalps, while partially crowded with implants, and tubules, still held hair and their flesh still retained some of its original color. The third one however, looked by far more complete in terms of possessing the full body armor, and mostly pail skin.

"Hold your fire!" Ordered Beck, as he got up out of his seat. The drones stood motionless as they continued to hold onto the doll. Fink felt his breath hitch as the disabled drone shifted slightly, revealing part of its face.

"Commander-"

"Do not worry captain, she is still alive..." Said a much deeper voice. A fourth drone stepped out from behind the group; the woman, whom he recognized as commander Rachel Allenis; the first officer of the_ Aventine_. Even though her hair was gone, and her skin had already paled to resemble that of a corpse, he could still recognize the uneven smile that spread across her face.

"What are you doing here?" Asked captain Beck. The commander looked at him with amusement as she reached down to touch the side of Commander Wrigley's face.

"I've come to return--Some faulty equipment..." In that moment, a devilish smirk began to run across Gene's lips, as he took several light steps across down the to the bridges command level.

"You couldn't eraser her, could you?" He said. Beck turned back to his friend, shooting him a querying glance at what he'd just said. Locking eyes with the other commander, he could see the things that filled, or rather, was void of them. Her smile died slightly.

"Perceptive as always... _Captain_." Mocking his title as she moved around the drones; ignoring the crewman sitting at the helm, pointing a phaser at her, she stepped closer the operations station. There, ensign B4 sat, staring up curiously into her eyes.

"You seem familiar," He said, his eyes reflecting his innocence. "Like someone whom was important to my brother." The woman smiled gently; raising her hand to cup his chin.

"Is that so...? How sweet." Tightening her grip, she twisted her hand, and subsequently his head, into the wrong direction--That is, until an armored hand shot out, and grabbed hold of her. Stunned, the woman turned to the source of the iron grip, and locked gazes with its owner.

"Assimilation, is-" The commander spoke, her voice cracking. "Futile!" She gasped out of clenched teeth. The woman tilted her head at the sight.

"Wrigley!" Fink shouted, as he watched his first officer struggle.

"Stubborn to the end I see..." She released the ensign's face, but the commander kept her hold steady. The woman smiled.

"You aren't going to leave this ship intact..." Spat the commander. Her smile didn't waver in the slightest, even as she stared into the young tamer's deadly gaze. In all of the years that Fink had known his first officer, he'd only ever seen that in her eyes twice... The day her father disappeared from her life, and during the final moments of the battle of D-Reaper. That look, it wasn't her normal _'...I'm going to kill you.'_ look--no, this one was much worse... This was one of the few things that strike fear into his heart.

"Really? How do you plan to stop me, commander...?" The smile on her face twisted into grotesque grin; her grey flesh gleaming in the intensity of the Bridge lights. Just then, it hit him--what his first officer was planning. Before he even had time to gasp, Wriggly spoke.

"This-!" She extended her assimilation tubules, and penetrating the her arm. The woman's grin instantly faded, as she tried to break free of the commander's grasp.

"NO! What are you-" The drones holding onto the commander tried to pull her off, but Wriggly held tight.

"You thought you suppressed Rachel's consciousness, but that wasn't the case..." Just as the third drone had grabbed hold of her arm, she recalled her tubules and released her grip. The woman instantly stumbled backwards; her head twitching.

"I transferred her entire mind into me... And now, I've given her back to you!" The commander's face twisted and distorted itself, as the drones before her twitched, seized. Finally, they dropped her; grunting as she hit the deck with a soft thud. The drones froze as commander Allenis looked up; fear, and confusion nearly clouding her eyes.

"Royal... Pro-" She gasped out. Beck leapt from his seat, using that inertia to glide across the bridge.

"Don't touch her!" Shouted Commander Wrigley. Without even thinking it, Gene's arm shot out grabbed his friend, countering his forward momentum with a braced shove. She pushed herself to a standing position, using the decreased gravity to her advantage. Paled from the spreading of her implants, Wrigley struggled to catch her breath as she spoke.

"Rachel..." She labored out. "I'm sorry to have used you like that; I know this wasn't how ever wanted to face your enemies-"

"No!" Said Allenis, cutting Wrigley off. Both of the captain's stared in amazement at the pair. To be able to hold your own against Borg assimilation was one thing that very few species could do, but for two Human's to be able to not only hold their own against the Queen's consciousness, and to even find a way to surprises it--Even the Continuum of the Q would be impressed, if not terrified.

"I can't keep her suppressed, command-" She choked, as if the words were being chocked back down by an unseen force. She collapsed to the Deck.

"Just wait and listen for a minute, we don't have much time!" The commander said. Allenis glanced over, giving her what little attention she could spare. "When the Queen transferred her consciousness between us, I did a back-wards upload... I also attached a program that I had sealed into one of my neural-transceiver nodes; it's the Endgame program!" She heaved, spewing what little she had left in her stomach onto the carpeted deck.

"Commander, you have to us it!" She chocked out. The commander twitched in pain, lowering her head down to the deck.

"AhhhhhhHHHHHHHH!!!" She screamed in pain.

"Commander Allenis-"

"Dennis, stop!" Shouted Fink to his struggling collogue. "This is something that only Commander Allenis can do..." Those words churned in his stomach, threatening to do the same as what his first officer did. But then, he herd something far worse...

"Hmhmhmhmhm... Is that so, captained? Then it would appear, that the good commander, has failed." Said the Queen of the Borg, once again in full control of the commander's body. She glimpsed over to where Commander Wrigley was struggling to stand; her twisted smile returning to her face.

"You seem tired commander... Perhaps as thanks for the gift that you've given me, I will give you your rest..." With the twitch of her head, the room's gravity normalized. Wrigley's knees buckled under her own weight, and she crashed to the ground.

"Commander!" Shouted Beck. The Queen turned back to the pair.

"I _was_ going to take you, and add your distinctiveness our own..." She stepped briskly back to the group of drones which had accompanied her to the _Stargazer_; and facing the image of the _Aventine_ on the main viewer said: "But perhaps your distinctiveness has become irrelevant." And with that, the group disappeared.

"Commander!" Shouted Fink as he leapt to the space between the helm, and operations stations. The deck rumbled as the lights dimmed another optic.

"It's the main fleet, they've caught up to our position!" The bridge shook again; the gravity lightening up once again. "Computer control relinquished; I've got weapons back on-line!" Shouted Roganko. On the screen, the image of the _Aventine_ danced across its surface; phasers and torpedoes washing over their shields in a brutal onslaught.

"They aren't even trying to evade..." Murmured Fink, as the rest of the bridge-crew watched the dog-fight. The deck lurched, as image on the screen changed position. The young captain glanced over to the helm, watching as its ensign inputted, and manipulated their course.

"I don't understand it--Their shields should be fully drained by now, but still holding strong..." Said the lieutenant. On the screen, the _Aventine_ continued on its course away from the planet; something that just didn't fit. Neither taking, nor needing a moment to contemplate what was happening, he came to a startling realization.

"No... They couldn't be." His tone was barely audible, but then again, he was also kneeling beside an android."

"Captain...?" B4 asked. Not taking his eyes off of the screen -partially out of disbelief, and partially out of pure fear -Gene steeled his jaw.

"Molecular-digitalization." Fink looked over his shoulder; there, he saw that same look of inward fear in his collogues eyes.

"Dennis--How can you-"

"I may not have been with _Voyager_ when O_peration Hypnos_ went into effect after the _Pathfinder_ project's success," He said; his brows becoming tightly knit. "But that doesn't mean the Digital World wasn't taking any damage from its usage." Images flooded Fink's mind, as the memories which he thought he'd buried years ago returned to the fore-front. All the worlds the worlds that were damaged; the peoples who had been decimated... The war it nearly set off.

"Cap- Tain..." A whisper, barely audible, wisped away from his first officer's lips. Holding her gently, he looked into her ice-blue eyes...

"It'll be okay commander, the medics are on their-" She whacked him the back of her armored hand. He howled in pain as an over-heated data tube burned his cheek.

"Chaos..." She whispered out. Gene stopped his hollering, coming closer to hear her better.

"Commander-"

"Leptons... Chaos- Chaosalf..." She tried to desperately to finished, but the words refused to come. And then something happened that he would have never expected to see; tears welling in her eyes. How long had it been since he'd seen her cry? Years, a decade? It scarred him to no end, because the first time he had seen it; the last tear that she had shed, was the day that she swore never to shed another.

"Sir, I am detecting a power spike in the _Aventine's_ warp-core--I believe they are attempting to activate slip-stream!" Said B4, his voice monotone. Agitation arose in the young captain as he thought of all the implications that this entailed.

"Dennis, if the new Queen is able to interface with _this_ collective-"

"-There won't be any stopping them... At least, not before we become the last real barrier to their conquests." Commander Monodramon finished. The small rookie had paused in his work, the image of ship schematics gleaming from its surface. Below, he could the hum of a hyper-spanner, and his lieutenant cursing quietly from within the consol. They'd already retrieved computer control, so why was still working like that?

"Have the fleet intercept; tell them to set collision courses with 'em if they have to..." Beck's voice was grim; his head held low. He'd known the other captain for such a long time--practically his entire life, but that look was something that he'd never seen before. It scared him.

"Chaos... Alpha..." Struggled Wrigley once again. She couldn't bring herself to finish, and tears we're now welling in her eyes. The turbolift hatch parted, as a pair of medics rushed out; as they began their work to restore his first officer, he looked into her clouded eyes, and finally, he understood everything.

"Chaosalphamon..." His voice was dangerous; all around him, the sounds of the bridge were fading, as he fought down a Finishing for the young commander, Fink looked back to his lieutenant. Laying below the rear station, Ryo seemed lost in thought as he looked into its innards.

"I was afraid of this..." Said the lieutenant. Fink shot him a glair, as warning as Beck's was absent.

"Captain, I've completed the modifications to the quantum torpedoes..." Fink flew to his feet. "It's replicated ,and ready for load-"

"Lieutenant, what hell is going on here?!"

"The White Card..." Answered Beck. Stunned by him answer, his only response was to stand stupidly stuck in place.

_'The White Card? But- But that's-'_ He thought to himself. No matter how he held onto it, he found his reason just impossible to comprehend. _'Why? Why would he use something like _that_ card; especially now?'_ And then, he realized it.

"You saw this--You knew this was going to happen...!"

"No, I didn't," He said calmly. "But since Chaosalphamon's return, let's just say, I've slipped a few aces up my sleeve..." Fink couldn't believe what he was hearing... His best friend, had always been a "no-bull" kind of guy, but this was ridiculous!"

"Mister Roganko, Fire the torpedo!"

**Main Bridge, USS Prometheous, 1043 hrs.**

"Hull breaches on decks twelve through fourteen!" Shouted the ensign whom had taken his place at ops. As second officer, it was his job to guard the well-being of the ship until the captain could return, but with the way they where loosing this battle, he didn't know if he would be able to.

"Seal them!" The bridge rocked violently once again.

"We've lost dorsal Phasers!" Shouted lieutenant Renamon from her place at tactical. They had engaged the _Aventine_ directly as soon as they had identified its Borg signature, but ever since the _Stargazer_ had recovered, it had begun to seem as though they were shooting blanks!

_'And what's more, they're returning fire with far more power then they should be capable of...'_ He thought. All around him the crew was rushing to keep the ship running. Glancing down at his own systems readout, he could see everything; their phasers were either drained, or disabled; their torpedoes were about as effective as a photon grenade, their shields were taking damage, and several smaller ships had already been forced to break from the battle.

"Sir, I'm detecting another power spike in the _Aventine's_ warp-core!" Shouted the ensign. He'd been watching the sensor readouts since they first confirmed the Intrepid-class ships position, but ever since they'd detected the multiple transporter going between the two ships...

"Sir, the _Stargazer_ has just fired a volley of quantum torpedoes- The _Aventine's_ shield strength has fallen by point zero-four percent!" The lieutenant commander looked up to the screen; watching the small vessel as it slowed its foreword moment.

"They've stopped-"

"No! They're changing trajectories... They've set a collision course with the _Stargazer_!" His pulse quickened, racing through his veins. What had done to those torpedoes? Looking back down to his personal display, he realized something... Something important.

"Digitons." He whispered mutedly.

"Nasim?" Asked Terriermon from his place on the other side of the bridge. Follider got up from the command chair, and stumbling down, clasped the edge of his operations station.

"Sorry Bakandrin, but I need back at my consol..." Not giving him the chance to see into her face, the ensign pushed herself away from the long consol. taking his seat, the commander's hands flew over the membranes smooth surface.

"Terriermon, do you remember what happened on stardate 57871?" His tone nonchalant, Terriermon crossed his arms as he took a moment to think about it.

"Wasn't that when the _Stargazer_ got held-up in their rendezvous with us because of some kinda' distress call?" Replied the small Digimon. As he put the finishing touches onto his plan, his best friend's eyes sparked in realization.

"Ohh, I get it; you're re-modulating the tractor beam to emit anti-digitons!" The commander grinned; not too long ago, the little Digimon would have complained about how he could keep track of such random events. His own persona must be rubbing off onto him.

"Captain, that could tear apart both the _Aventine_ and the _Stargazer_, and any other ship that get's too close!" Shouted Renamon, but Nasim didn't care... This had to work- No, this had to work, it was the only way to deep the Borg from reaching the collective.

"Activating tractor beam!" The Bridge rocked, as he shunted power to generators; waves of blue-hued gravitons washed over the ships hull. All along it's surface, small mini-explosions could be seen, as every conduit in their Electro-Plasma System bursted from the sudden antiparticle interactions. Ginning to himself, he checked on the power flow.

"What was that?" Asked Guilmon. Nasim looked up to large rookie.

"What was what-" The deck rumbled, not violently, but dangerously softly.

"No, what could-"

"Sir, it's the _Stargazer_, they've activated some sort of joint Positron/Fermions particle burst; it's interacting with our own!" Nasim didn't even give his mind time to react; his hands now moving of their own accord.

"I'm shutting dow-" The Bridge lurched hard, knocking virtually everyone to the deck. No matter how hard he tried, the lieutenant couldn't lift himself off the ground. The whine of the inertial dampeners filled his ears, as they strained to keen up. The screen flickered; the stars streaking across it's surface as if they were moving warp speeds in the wrong direction. Another explosion sounded, nearly pinning everyone to the ceiling before the dampeners caught up. His entire body ached. Lifting his head from ground, and following his first instinct, he looked around the darkened room, gauging the welfare of the crew. Seeing the others pull themselves up, he looked back up to the screen. Its image was fuzzy at best, but he could still tell that they were listing out of control.

"Everyone, damage report!" He shouted as he pulled himself back up to his consol.

"Ahh--the engines aren't working fast enough... Let me try the thrusters to stop us from spinning." Replied Guilmon, his over-sized claws tapping against the consol surface easily.

"Virtually all weapons are down, and our shields have collapsed!" Said Renamon from the rear. As their trajectory stabilized, he tried to find the _Stargazer_, as well as the _Aventine_.

"Commander Follider, is everything alright?" Asked the lieutenant. Nasim grunted as he ran the scans again, not believing what he was seeing. After the results came in, no different then the first, he swallowed hard, as he turned back to face the tactical section.

"I can't find them--The _Aventine_, nor the _Stargazer_..."

**Main Bridge, USS Stargazer, unknown time**

"Fink coughed, as held onto stomach. He'd landed on the bottom end of the consol bar when he hit the deck. All around him, alert klaxons were sounding throughout the dark room.

"Report!" Shouted Beck from behind. He looked around himself, noticing the first burning on the consol where commander Monodramon had been working only seconds ago. Fink tried to pull himself back to his seat, but lurched when he tried to pull himself up, coughing up bile, and blood as fell back to the deck.

"Gene!" Shouted Beck as he rushed to his side. He grinned.

"Nice try, but your little first officer curse isn't going to get me so easily..." He joked. A sigh of relief washed over his friend's face, as the rest of his crew worked around him.

"Sir, I cannot seem to find any of our ships--In fact, I cannot even find Earth." Said B4. As Fink grasped onto Beck's shoulder, ignoring the pain, he said:

"On screen." As he made it to his feet, he felt Beck pause in mid-lift.

"Dennis-" Glancing to the main viewscreen, he saw what had so caught his attention. On it's surface, the visage of a beautiful, blue, green, brown, and white planet shown through it's surface. A single, silvery moon orbiting around it in the distance. But it wasn't just that image that caught their attention; it was the singular continent on the surface of the otherwise beautiful water-world below, something that seemed all too familiar to them all...

"Is that- It can't be..."

"Scans confirm captain--The image that we are seeing is indeed Earth," Said ensign B4. "As it were approximately sixty-three point four million years ago..."


	3. Where Odin Sleeps Part 1

**Disclaimer:** You know, as I was proof-reading this chapter, I came to the realization that there's so much extra stuff missing...so, I've decided to split it up into three (maybe four, depending what I do) separate chapters. The reason for this is because, A) My stuff has been getting pretty damn long, (as well as my posting intervals), and B) This is the only project I've got going on. So, before I start rambling, and have to edit the crap out of this thing, I'll get onto the disclaimer... I don't own Digimon, or Star Trek. Just the crap that I can fish out of my non-sensical mind. So, **DON'T SUE ME!!!**

**Unknown Place, Unknown Time**

"-Report!" Snarled out the slim, furry woman, as she climbed into the seat at the center of the room. Shrouded in darkness, with only their consoles, and the sparks surging forth through broken glass for illumination, they stumbled, and rushed to keep things together.

"Statues updates are coming in; Damage across all decks; main weapons are available, but we've run out of torpedoes, and our shields are holding at thirteen percent!" Replied a larger, hog-face man before her.

"The _Tulum's_ got a core-breach in progress!" Shouted the lieutenant from behind the tactical consol.

"Have the _Shi'kalon_ commence emergency beam-out of the crew-" Before she could finish, the screen lit-up in brilliant flash; The _Tulum_, as it's anti-matter breached it's containment seals and reacted to all 'normal' matter on contact. By the time the explosion was over, barely anything was left of the aged Excelsior-class starship.

"Report from the _Zeron_--they only were able to rescue seventy-two of the crew and refugees..." Her bronze ears perked; the words hitting a cord.

"There were over fourteen-hundred people on that ship." She whispered to no one in particular. The deck lurched, bringing her back to the present. She herd a sizzle emanating from above, looking up, she saw Bridge structural field disk sparking. Without giving it a second thought, she leapt from her seat, just as the generator came loose from it's housing, crashing down on her seat.

"Captain!" Shouted the hog-faced man from the other side of the room.

"I'm fine lieutenant!" She shouted. Pulling herself up to the seat before her, she tapped in her personal access code.

"Captain, enemy forces are in full retreat!" Shouted the lieutenant behind the tactical consol. She had to fight back a wave of relief, knowing that this wasn't over just yet. Then the bridge rocked once again, causing the long tactical consol on the other side of the bridge to erupt in a blaze of fire, and debris. Scanning the destruction for survivors, she saw her chief tactical officer laying on the scorched deck; injured, and bleeding.

Steeling herself, she turned back to the workstation before her. "Lieutenant Busencchi, I want you to activate the distress beacon, and open a channel, all frequencies!" After a second, Busencchi gave her a curt nod. Tapping the controls with her claws extended, she triggered the live signal transmission.

As she began to speak, another set of tremors shook the deck below. "This is captain Nimar of the Federation Time ship _Ronin_, requesting assistance!"

**Primary Sickbay, USS Stargazer, Unknown Time**

"Ahh!"

"Hold still, Captain Fink, I'm almost done repairing one ruptured organ, I don't want to damage another in the process!" Said the doctor, as he ran a pen-like device over the captain's abdomen. Beck had had him beamed down there as soon as they had stabilized their orbit. Broken and damaged, Beck had ordered their newly installed cloaking device to be activated as soon as he'd realized what had happened. The image that he'd seen on the main view screen still haunted him, but glancing over at the door on the other side of the bay, knowing that his first officer was suffering so much more felt worse then the feeling of his ruptured appendix.

"There, you're done." Said the Doctor. "But I want you to take it easy for the next week or so; no hand to hand combat!" Fink couldn't help but chuckle at his dry bed-side manner. He had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't _The Doctor_, the one whom they'd all grown attached to during their time aboard the _U.S.S. Voyager_, but all the same, he enjoyed the familiarity...

"If you don't mind, sir, now that you're healed, I have other patients that require that bio-bed more so then-" The doors slipped as a pair of officers rushed in carrying a Bolian man. Even in the dim light, the young captain could see cobalt-blood seeping from the burns all across his upper body.

"What happened?!" Asked the Doctor, as he rushed up to the group, tricorder in hand, as he began scanning him.

"We're not sure--We found him in a Jefferies tube on deck thirty-seven!" Replied the woman carrying him. Fink leapt off of the bed, and rushed the group, helping them lift him to its surface.

"He has massive plasma-burns to approximately twenty-nine percent of his body; all thirteen ribs on his left side are shattered, his left lung has been torn to shreds, his right one has collapsed, multiple ruptured organs and his air passage have partially swelled from plasma inhalation!" The Doctor shouted, half-pleading as he assessed the man's condition. Fink looked to his collar, noticing the two golden pips gleaming in the dim light against his golden undershirt. Looking to his face, he saw his eyes staring out at him. Watching his inverted irises dilate as the Holographic Doctor called for a nurse, Fink held his hand above his mouth, trying to feel for his breath. When the feeling of warm air that he'd been hoping for didn't come, he settled a pair of his fingers below his left ear. "Prep the auxiliary operating room; we need to get him into immediate-"

"Doctor," The captain said, stopping him mid-sentence.

"Captain, I don't have time to treat any discomfort from your patchwork, right now I have a man-"

"Doctor." He said again, this time looking up to his pale face. His eyes were blank, as pulled his hand away from the lieutenant's neck. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that's going to be necessary. He's already dead." The EMH pulled out his tricorder, and ran its small probe over his body. The high-pitched squeal that emanated from the small device told the Doctor what he already knew.

"He's lost too much blood... His synapses have already begun depolarizing." His voice was grim as he read the information on the small screen. Steeling his breath and turning away from the group, Fink pushed past them, and out into the corridor. Making his way to the turbolift, he hit its wall panel, smearing the still-fresh blood across its surface in the process. Looking down at his hands, he saw that they were both smeared with the grey liquid; the lieutenant's blood. He ignored an urge from deep within himself to wipe the substance off, onto the closest surface, instead opting to let his limp; allowing to fluid to drip off. He lowered his head, and tried not to look at the pools growing below him.

"Captain, are you alright?" Appeared a familiar voice from behind him.

_'Strange,'_ he thought to himself. _'He's usually the only one I can ever feel coming.'_ As the feeling of the blood already starting to dry and crust-over on his hands, he leaned against the side wall, remaining silent.

"I know how you feel sir; watching the final moments of someone's life slip away, and not being able to do anything about it--It's a horrifying feeling..." Fink looked up to his lieutenant, whom also was leaning against the opposite wall, his arms crossed.

"It's not like that Ryo. I've seen this dozens of times over- hundreds..." The words became caught in his throat, but he refused to choke them out. So instead, he forced them back down, and the anger which had been lodged within them to come first; reducing the burst from the potential of a loud howl, to the form of a low growl. He tried not to look into the lieutenant's eyes as he continued. "...But every time someone under my command died, they always fought for every last second." Afraid to go any farther, he stopped. Looking down to hands, the blood was now almost completely dry, contrasting darkly over his light-brown skin. A single image, one which he'd spent a very long time trying to bury, forced his way back to the forefront of his mind. Something which he had always kept to himself.

"To seemingly give-up so easily, I can see why it's bothering you...especially after what happened seven years ago" His head shot up to eye-level, a dangerous glair piercing through the lieutenant. The young captain frantically searched his face for some kind of clue as to what he was talking about. Partially out of anger, then, in fear.

"How do you know about that?!" His anger very prevalent, Ryo stood before him seemingly unfazed. It was incredible rare for the young command officer to become angered, but since that time in their Digital World, were he'd accidentally channeled all of his emotions at the time into his friend Guilmon, thus, turning him into the Partially mindless monster Megidramon, no one ever dared to try and bring back to that state again; to never endanger the things closest to his heart.

His lieutenant grinned, what Fink feared to be a knowing grin. And then, as a hum from the turboshaft appeared and quickly grew louder, the lieutenant said: "It's simple," the turbolift doors opened to an empty car. With the lights inside of it shining at full intensity, lieutenant Akyama stepped through to its center. "Because I was there, captain. The day you changed your command crew's fate forever--The day you all became Starfleet officers...and, the day _he_ died."

**Primary Shuttle Bay, USS Stargazer, Unknown Time**

"_Plasma leak! The _Illyria's_ warp-core's going critical; prepare to launch it!_" Shouted a panicked voice from the overhead speaker. Belshka's hands flew over the shuttles controls as countless alarms droned on around her. Super-heated plasma scorching the glass viewport in front of her. She tapped the chevron pinned to her chest.

"_Thunderchild_ to shuttle control, I'm attempting to get a lock on the _Illyria's_ anti-matter; don't eject it from the bay just yet!" She said. Cracks began to form in the transparent aluminum panel before her, but she didn't take any notice. Instead, she activated a force-field around its over-heated glass, to, at the very least, keep her alive.

"_Belshka, don't! Get out of there; the _Thunderchild's_ transporters aren't strong enough to hold that much anti-matter safely!"_ Filtered the voice over the speaker. Ignoring the woman's pleas, she continued to work, locking onto every last drop of the volatile substance.

"_Belshka-_" Within an instance, the alarms silenced, leaving her in complete silence. The super-heated plasma still bombarded the viewport, obstructing her view, but the crewmen scattering around the small shuttle seemed to have at least, stopped trying to run away. She breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back into her chair, watching them vividly as they cut off the flow of dry plasma. Deciding it finally safe, she made her way out of the large vessel. As she walked down the ramp, she noticed the officer in charge of the bay standing just outside of the control room on the upper level, glairing down at her. Heading over to the ladder beside the broken cargo lift, the reptilianoid woman ascended its cold braces.

"How the hell did you manage that?" Asked the officer, placing her hands on her hips, as she arched an eye brow. She couldn't help but giggle at the action, much to the officer's annoyance, or possible amusement; she still wasn't sure.

"Your transporters use a basic fermion-shift pulse to stabilize the signal, so all I had to do was activate the warp-core and use that to boost the signal..." Was her reply. Mimicking the Human woman's stance, she playfully grinned at her. Shaking her head, the officer turned to head back into the control booth. Glancing down to the landing bay, she watched as the techs worked on repairing the _Thunderchild_, their only Delta-flyer-class shuttle, as well as the _Illyria_, one of their type-two shuttles. As the doors closed behind her, the officer turned back to her.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She asked. "Using the transporters like that- If something were to go wrong during the transport, the anti-matter could be released into the bay and ignite with the surrounding normal matter!" Surprised by the officer's outrage, the reptilianoid woman took a step back, but without taking her eyes off of the stout Human.

"If I hadn't, then you would have been forced to eject _all_ of the shuttles, and since we don't know where we are, it would have caused a lot of trouble for us as an anti-matter flare!" She shot back.

"Its better then risking blowing a hole through the hull-!" Suddenly, Belshka felt her head start to throb, as if someone had wrapped their hands around her temples and began pushing them together. She staggered back, slamming against the metal bulk-head. Sliding down its smooth surface, she felt the pressure increase.

"Belshka?" Asked the officer. She barely noticed as she grabbed her arm.

_"Voosalek tamukkalan..."_ Whispered a voice. The pressure increased, and she felt something warm, and wet pooling against her palms. The voices around her blurred into a baritone haze; the dim light becoming too intense for her stand, so slammed her eyes shut.

_"Zilldat tubo! Halt kro medtat!"_ The whispers became louder, and louder. _"Haldikar miian. Roun daami Yau klaouq! YAU KLAOUQ!"_

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" She screamed in agony, the pain coupled with the voices becoming too much for her. She felt as if she was about to pass out, when without warning, it stopped.

**Main Bridge, USS Stargazer, Unknown Time**

"Astrometric scan initiated..." Said the digitally distorted voice of ensign B4. Captain Beck looked over his shoulder, as the human-like android's hands danced over the dark surface the consol. Images, and raw data scrolled across its screen at near-blinding speeds, as the last original Soong android processed the incoming information.

"Fascinating..." He said, manipulating more controls. Beck bowed his head in an attempt to catch even the slightest glimpse of the data.

"What is it B4?" Just barely catching a screen or two of raw details, B4 didn't take his eyes off of the display as he spoke.

"According to my sensor analysis, I am only detecting six planets within this star system." Shocked, the young captain leaned farther in to slow down the scrolling speed.

"Six? Wait, I thought astrometric sensors _confirmed_ our location in the Sol system; how could there only be six planets?" Asked the Human-Klingon from the rear of the bridge. Reading, and rereading the sensor information, Beck cocked his right eyebrow; intrigued by what he was seeing.

"No... I think he's right." Those who weren't steeped in repairs turned to the pair of Digimon, working at the barely functional starboard science station. "We're only picking up six planets, because there _are_ only six planets; three rocky, inner worlds, and three gas giants orbiting beyond the systems asteroid be-" His partner stopped, leaning in closer to the scorched consol. Watching the pair as they both began working furiously, Beck began having a sense of déjà vu; something that he never liked.

"Hey, um detecting weapons fire on the edge of the system... And some of it's got a Federation signature!" Stunned, Beck turned back to B4, whose seemingly flaccid fingers were already hard at work refining the sensors. Glancing over his shoulders, he eyed the svelte lieutenant working the surface of the tactical arch, a heavy scowl mimicking his cranial ridges.

"Confirmed. But I am also detecting numerous other weapons signatures... Romulan, Breen, Cardassian, Kazon, Ferengi, Tholian, Dominion-"

"Ensign..." Said the captain in slight annoyance. The android stopped, cocking his head slightly

"Among other documented Alpha, Gamma, and Delta quadrant species." Once again raising his right brow in curiosity, he asked:

"That's it? What about other Spices from the Beta Quadrant?" Watching the ensign's head twitch in multiple directions as his fingers danced over its dark surface. From all across his bridge, the captain could hear the various sounds circuits, tools, and other machines doing their jobs, but one particular sound, the hissing of the turbolift doors, caught his attention.

"You're late _number one_..." He said, not turning to his old friend. When he didn't hear a smart quip from the other captain, he turned to watch his friend, as he worked the damaged starboard-most science station. Glancing back over to the turbolift, he spied lieutenant Akyama standing at the edge of the bridge. Images began to fill his mind; many of which he couldn't make any immediate sense of. Pushing them to the back of his consciousness, he looked back over to the other captain.

"Gene-"

"-The internal sensors are down, we're getting maydays from just about every part of the ship..." Realizing what was going on, he dropped the issue. He would have to deal with the repercussions for what the lieutenant had done later, but for now, they were in an emergency, and they were _all_ needed if they wanted to find a way out of this mess. Turning back to ensign B4, the eldest captain looked down at his readings.

"Inconclusive... Great, now we're lost upstream without a paddle, _and_ a compass." Running his hand through his course hair, flinching slightly at the unexpected pain that shot through his hand. Although the wound had been healed, the scar was still tender.

"Captain, I'm picking up a distress signal from one of the unknown Federation starships!" Said lieutenant Roganko. Both Fink and Akyama snapped to attention. Ignoring their sudden, querying glances, he stood back up to his full height.

"On screen." The fuzzy image on the main viewer changed, from the visage of the blue, green, and white sphere looming in the distance, to static and almost unclear image of vaguely familiar form.

_"This is captain Nimar of the Federation Time ship _Ronin_, requesting assistance! We've taken heavy damage, and have heavy casualties... Please, we're transporting over one-hundred thirty thousand refugees! Message repeats. This is-"_ Captain Fink hit the mute button on the edge of the tactical consol. On the screen, the darkened image of captain Nimar continued to silently speak; pleading for help. The reddish-brown fur, which glowed vibrantly on her slim, Caitian face in the erratic light.

"They made it?" Said a soft voice from the lower level. Looking down, Beck watched as both Ryo, and ensign Monodramon stepped closer to the main screen; coming in from both sides of the bridge. The captain knew that look; the lieutenant's mouth hanging open slightly, his eyes opened widely...

"Lieutenant?" He asked, knowing that his near-duplicate would keep his blank stare unless he took down the image from the over-sized screen.

"Nimar... She's the captain of the Time ship _Ronin_, one of the last Sovereign-class Starships to have survived to the very end of the war." He replied. Looking back up to the screen, the young tamer watched his steel-blue eyes retract as a flash of light lit-up one side of her face.

"I thought the _Phoenix_ squadron was the _only_ task-force to make it through the Bajoran wormhole...?" Said lieutenant Roganko from beside him.

"We don't know how old the Wormhole is, lieutenant--There's a thousand variables which could cause an accidental and uncontrolled temporal shift..." Said _his_ version of Monodramon. Not taking the time to look up from the starboard science station, the small Digimon continued to work on his damaged sensors. Beck looked back up at the viewer, hardening his gaze as he watched the image of the other captain.

"Whatever the reason, we're still a Federation Starship, and so are they." He said, making his way back to his command chair. "Helm, set an intercept course, best sub-light speed." Lifting his hand, he cringed as he felt something teetering on the edge of his consciousness; voices whispering--No, they were shouting... For the moment he ignored them, even as he recognized part of the unfamiliar words.

"Engage!"

**Main Bridge, USS Ronin, Unknown Time**

"Busencchi hang on, the medics are on their way up!" Said captain Namir, as she spoke to the Orion lieutenant. Below her, the lieutenant was lying on the deck, a bulking piece of shrapnel sticking out of his chest; lime-green blood seeping out from the wound. Normally the Caitian captain wouldn't have worried all that much about the sturdy Orion, but the fact that the lieutenant's normally dark-green blood, coupled with his heavily labored breathing made her fear the worst.

"It's alright captain..." He struggled. "...It was an honor- ...To serve with you..." With that, his eyelids dropped. Settling her soft golden hand on top of his shoulder, she was about to leave, when without warning, her ears twitched. A ploom of a silvery silhouette lit-up the darkened bridge, leaving a group of five Starfleet officers' behind as it faded. Although she didn't recognize any of them, she was at least grateful to see that _someone_ had come out of this worse-case-scenario more or less whole.

"Over here; I've got someone critically injured!" She said as she waved her hand over to the officers. A pair of them rushed over to them, and began checking the lieutenant. As the Andorian medic did his work stabilizing her chief tactical officer, the other whom was crouching along side him, turned to her. He was young, but looking into his eyes, she could tell that was just as battle-hardened as the rest of them. His sapphire eyes contrasting against his red-tanned skin, which blended into the red of his undershirt.

"Captain Namir I presume." He said in a matter-of-faculty tone. Something didn't seem right to her, especially as she noticed the four pips on his collar. Not many Federation starships had been able to escape the slaughter of Bajor, but she _did_ know all of the commanders in her fleet, if not by name, then at least by face, and his was one which she didn't recognize.

"Yes." She replied. The young captain gave her a wan grin.

"I'm Captain Gene Fink, first officer of the Federation Starship _Stargazer_." He said. "Don't worry; our ship is taking care of the casualties throughout your fleet." Not believing what she was hearing, she gave him a one-over, paying critical attention to his attire. Although his uniform was torn, and crusted with multi-colored blood, it was nearly identical to the one which she wore.

"How did you survive? The starship _Shigure_ sealed the Alpha-quadrant entrance of the Bajoran wormhole from the Grigari when they detonated their Omega reactor!" The grin that had occupied his lips faded. Something didn't feel right, not with him; he was hiding something. He turned toward her full-on, his face contorting with worry.

"You're injured..." He said, pulling out his tricorder and aiming it at her left arm. Although it was too dark to see, the black sleeve of her uniform; even with the thick layer of fur beneath, was soaked in her own blood.

"I was hit by a piece of shrapnel when the main structural field disk collapsed..." The young officer closed his tricorder, instead reaching for the med-kit that had been left behind. Grabbing a hypospray from its padded surface, he tapped the small buttons on its back before bringing it up to her neck. She pulled away.

"It's alright," He rolled his eyes at her reaction. "It's thirty cc's of Asinolyathin--a pain killer." Pressing the tip of the syringe to her neck, she felt the cold hiss as it's content's emptied into her blood-stream.

Grinning wryly, her sharp canines shined in the dim light; reflecting in the young captain's eyes. "As long as it's not a tri-ox compound..." He pulled back from her in surprise.

"Tri-ox?!" Repeated Fink, "But that stuff hasn't been used since the introduction of Himetsazine products well over eighty years ago!" Namir couldn't hold back from laughing as she listened to the human. Meanwhile, the teen had crossed his arms as he waited patiently for her to stop.

Noticing this she reined in her humor. "Sorry captain, but we've been rationing our power wince we got here. In case you haven't noticed, we have well over one point two-seven _million_ people inhabiting an armada of about forty ships...And not all of them are Starfleet." Fink looked away, shame filling his eyes. Deciding to change the subject, Namir stood up, and made her way to the tactical station. Being careful to avoid the ruptured paneling, she pulled up the controls to the sensor grid.

"Captain?" Fink asked, peeking over her shoulder as she worked. "I see; your sensor grin heavy damage during the battle-" As the sensor data flashed before the screen, the young captain lost the words which had been about to roll from his tong.

"No..." Watching the sensor logs, Fink realized came to a disturbing realization.

"I know what your thinking captain, and before you get any further down that train of thought, stop. It's not what you think." Namir said. Giving him a second to assimilate everything that he was seeing, she noticed Fink's gaze harden into a glair.

"What? Impossible...This signature, it's Grigari! But their weapons-" The young captain said. Namir manipulated several more controls.

"Actually, they're Voth."

**Unknown Place, Unknown Time.**

_'HELP US! THEY'RE KILLING US!'_ Screamed a nuance of voices through the darkness. Commander Riggley tried to cover her ears, but she had no control over her arms. Before, when they had first appeared, she couldn't understand them. But, as what seemed like days had passed by her, the commander realized that she could understand them.

She screamed in terror. _"WHO ARE YOU?!"_ Several seconds passed with no answer. Again, she tried to cover her ears; to shield herself from the onslaught of raw emotions. Pain, anguish, fear...Death. It all invaded her every thought--every cell of her being. But then, in the darkness, she felt a hand. The commander willed her eyes to look, to see in the black. As the fog of the abyss began to clear, she began to make out a face. The face of someone she thought was dead.

_"COMMANDER!"_ Shouted the woman before her. Part of her didn't want to believe it, after everything she'd been through. But then the sound of the voices began to fade, if even in the slightest, as the woman she had known as Princess Belshka grabbed her in a firm grip. The darkness seemed to become slightly less crowded as the reptilianoid woman pulled her close, into an embrace.

_"Commander, I need you to focus on my voice!"_ She shouted. The commander cleared her mind, pushing her chaotic thoughts of everything that had happened to the back of her head, and listened.

_'HEELLLLlpppppp!!!'_ The sharp edge of the voices began to fade, and it was becoming easier for commander Riggley move her limbs in the slightest. As distance came between her and the chorus, she realized that it wasn't just a few hundred voices speaking in unison, but instead millions all making a similar plea. Listening haphazardly, she could make out the odd tones. Some asking for death, and others wishing it upon the many, even as they fizzled out themselves. Then, within the span of a single, short second, she felt herself emerge from the pull of the dying. The grasp which held the commander in place loosened, and released, and she could finally move herself freely. She looked into the smiling, yet sad face of her savior.

_"They are waiting, ma'am...we should return."_ As the princess finished, she gave one last glance to the sphere which had entrapped them, before dissolving into a flash of light. Though she understood what she had meant, commander Riggley had no idea how she was to do it. Shooting a glance at the crowd just as Belshka had, she came to the realization that it had disappeared. She looked around for it, but found nothing.

_"Great,"_ she said to herself. _"Careful what ya' wish for Dee, you might just get it."_ She sighed, and tried to think of what she looked like. The older teen cringed at the thought of her skin being sickly pale, and having numerous Borg implants and amour covering her body. And then she felt herself be consumed by the same kind of flash. Her entire body felt as if it was melting, but she didn't feel a single itch of pain. As the darkness faded into the light, a strange mist began to form, and within the mist, she saw the destruction of Earth.

**Main Engineering, USS Stargazer, Unknown Time**

_"Level five diagnostic complete; errors found in nano-repair system. Control junctions five, eight, nine, sixteen, and thirty-one."_ Said the cool and crisp synthesized voice of the main computer. Lieutenant Roganko made a few quick notes on the PADD in his hand before he handed it off to the crewman beside him.

"Hear that? I want those junctions repaired and operational in twenty minutes, do I make myself clear cadet?" The tall woman quickly took the PADD from his hand, and gave it a clear one-over. Looking back up, she realized that he was still looking at her.

Ignoring his accusing glair, she said: "Have them ready by thirteen hundred-hours, aye sir!" Without giving him so much as a second look, she was off; quicker then he'd seen any of his staff since they first ended up in this god-forsaken mess. He knew that he was only supposed to train the new cadets as make-shift crews for rushed-into-service starships, but the most valuable thing he'd learned since his days in the Dominion War as an officer in the Klingon Defense Force, was that the best trained crewmen often had the best chances of survival, and ultimately, success in battle. He turned back to the main diagnostic table where he tried to see if he could at least run a manual bypass on the nano-repair system in main engineering. The system had given them nothing but trouble since they first had it installed. First, it had refused to initialize after the installation, then when they had fixed that first interface error, the system patch that they had installed for their older isolinear-based network had somehow become corrupt, thus forcing the main computer to think it was being infected with Borg nano-probes and initiated a complete systems lock-out. Needless to say, after a series of bad luck and system-failures, they had finally got it to work properly a few days before the _Deadalus_ returned. Then the Borg had to pop their ugly, cybernetic noses back into view, and hack into their systems, once again disabling it. It was all enough to make the Human-Klingon hybrid to start scratching his ridges off. But instead, he decided to settle with flinging various PADDs across the bay every time his temper began to spike. Speaking of which...

"Hey lieutenant, how's it goin'?" He held back a sigh as he herd that voice. Adrian already knew who it was that had entered into his half-smashed domain, but he decided to feign ignorance as he turned to his greeter. There, standing in the middle of his bay, was Lieutenant Ryo Akiyama of the _Prometheous_. He held back the urge to pull out his CheQ'Met dagger to stab the Human with, and instead settled with a low growl.

"I'm busy...Or can't you see that?" The lieutenant asked, not liking his own reply. The Tamer simply returned his glair with a gleam of amusement in his eye, before glancing down at the half-blasted and smashed consol. pulling a small device from a pocket hidden in the seam of his uniform sleeve; he touched the twin prongs on its short end to the workstations surface. Within seconds, a dim light surrounded the table. The engineer's eyes widened as he watched whole sections which had ruptured, and, in most cases, where still logged in the surrounding wall and deck, seemingly grow back in place. The light faded, leaving behind a perfectly clean and new-looking work-station in its place. Its panels came to life, displaying the activities, and data which they had been presenting the second they all went off-line. He snapped his head back up to Akyama.

"How did you-"

"-Restore the consol? Dimensional shifting," He replied easily with a calm shrug. The Klingon engineer tapped in several new commands, and realized that the all of the software for the nano-repair systems had also been restored and awaiting instructions. The Human Tamer walked up along-side the consol; the hybrid engineer barely gave him so much as a glance.

"This is more than dimensional shifting...It has to be." His hands froze in their place, as understanding calmed the rage of the Klingon side of his mind. "You also manipulated space-time in order to restore the data that was lost." His statement only seemed to make the grin on his face widen even more.

"Nah, not really," he rubbed the side of his head with his free hand. "All I did was use the quantum signature of the consol that was still intact to scan the local universal shifts until it found a reality were the consol was still intact, after that, it was a simple matter of replicating a replacement." Lieutenant Roganko snorted at his reply; though it explained exactly what he did, the Klingon within him was growling at his arrogance. He'd heard a partial and fragmented explanation from the captain about the lieutenant's situation, but that didn't mean that he completely agreed with his decision to let him wander the ship as he was without an escort.

_Berp berp. "Damage control targets verified, beginning regeneration."_ Another growl escaped the engineer's throat, at the computer's statement. Within seconds, the sparks which were escaping from a nearby damaged power junction ceased, as new insulation and covering seemingly grew over the damage. The lighting returned to full intensity, and the whole of engineering seemed to be putting itself back together, while the debris which littered everything from the deck to the walls, and ceiling simply melted away. When all of the cosmetic work in the section was complete, Adrian tapped a control on the consol.

"Engineering to Bridge, we've got the nano-repair system working again, we should be back up to full power in..." He manipulated a few more controls on his consol, "a little over nine minutes. Engineering out." The channel closed automatically, but he wasn't done there.

"Roganko to cadet Agathemn, we...found a way to restore the NR system from here; report back for your next assignment." He'd expected the annoying lieutenant to get smart with him as soon as the channel was closed, but when one didn't come, he made an about-face back to the _Prometheous_ engineer, only to find that he'd disappeared. The one thing he wanted to do right now was to get back to work, but since Akyama just had to appear out of nowhere--and now apparently disappear to nowhere--without giving him a reason why. And that could mean only one of two things: A, there was something that he didn't want just anyone to hear, or B: There was something that he wanted him to see, and couldn't move. But at the very least he could have left him a clue before he left! After spending a few seconds searching the area for the now missing lieutenant, he silently cursed under his breath. He turned back to the consol.

"Finally, I thought you'd never turn around," said the lieutenant from behind. The Klingon hybrid, for a split second, went into full defensive mode. When the only thing the other engineer did was chuckle in reply, he relaxed his stance...a little.

Ryo smiled as he shifted his weight form leaning on the table station, back to his own two feet. "Now then, down to business..." The lieutenant was about to tell him off, for playing these games with him, but before he could, the lieutenant instead lifted his hand, and touched the bulkhead which made-up the starboard wall. He eyed him suspiciously, even as he turned back to face him; his mad grin growing as held his hand out, which he didn't take immediately.

"C'mon, it's the only way you'll find out exactly what's going on." Half of his engineering staff was staring at them, now that they weren't busy trying to keep the ship working; they all had a little more free-time on their hands. Deciding to leave it not to be easier to risk one of his staff, he grabbed hold of the lieutenant's out-stretched hand.

"This better be worth it." His words were flat, but it didn't seem to matter to Ryo. With the flick of his hand, a small device attached to his fingers switched on, and they both leapt through the wall.

"What the-" Was all that the engineer could get out before he too feel through the wall. It felt strange to him...it felt as if he were walking through thin air. He knew that it shouldn't be possible, but they weren't just walking through solid metal, but plasma conduits, and anti-matter injectors! Just being their, should have caused some kind of interference, but it didn't feel like they had. Then the lieutenant stopped without warning, and realized that they weren't within the ship anymore; they were standing on its outer hull. His eyes went wide at the sight, and he tried to pull his hand free of the lieutenant's, but his grip held firm.

"Don't let go!" He said. "Right now, my molecular manipulator is the only thing protecting us from the elements, if you let go-"

"-I'll be exposing myself to the vacuum..." Roganko's voice was calmer now, but the instinctual urge to pull free and run just wouldn't disappear. Above them was the fleet of refugee Starships, among other things. Bits and pieces of scattered debris drifted throughout the battlefield, occasionally hitting something or sizzling against the weakened shields of a ship; many of which were in little better condition then the others. Behind it all, he could see, though small, the halo of one of the systems gas giants, beaming a searing orange with Sol looming twice as big some way beside it. Roganko felt something as he looked into the void, but never the less, the engineer had to pull himself back to the moment: He had a job to do.

"Over there," quickly said Ryo. Adrian scanned the area he was pointing to, and noticed something strange on the hull. He stepped closer to the object with the lieutenant in tow. As they got closer, he realized what he was looking at.

"Kaless help us." [1]

**Officers Conference Room, UTS Ronin, 1314 hrs.**

"The materials the _Stargazer_ gave us for repairs have been transcendent! If nothing else happens, we should have the entire fleet restored to full strength within the next few hours," Said the Tarkalian engineer sitting on captain Namir's far left. The Caitian officer perked her ears at the news. They had been running on emergency power since the battle of Bajor, and really, she'd all but forgotten what the bridge looked like with all of its lights on. The conference room too--If one could call it that--had been nothing more than a long metal table that was bolted to the bare deck ever since the entire port-side of the bridge had been blasted-out during a boarding several weeks earlier. She could still smell the scent of torched duranium from the blackened walls, which blended in with the lone panel display situated on the far wall.

_"Captain Namir, I suggest we leave this system as soon repairs are complete."_ Said the Romulan commander whom occupied the screen. She wasn't alone there either...the screen itself was split up into different sections, one for wing commander within the fleet; ten boxes for each of the eleven wings, barring their own. The felineoid commander was in complete agreement with her Romulan counterpart. They had taken heavy losses since they first arrived, but out of their entire journey, the Terren system seemed to have been the deadliest of all. But one question still bore asking, and she wasn't going to let it go unanswered.

"Agreed, but were do we go after this?" She asked, and each of her counterparts seemed equally stumped by the question. Namir continued, "Virtually every corner of this part of the quadrant seems to be crawling with cozmozian life-forms, and not the kind that'll just send us empathic signals of curiosity either..." The lone Ferengi Demon on the screen looked up from the spot with which he'd been staring at off-screen.

_"I still say we try to make a run for the Haldikar system; rule of acquisition number 93: Act without delay! The sharp knife cuts quickly."_ The lone Gorn commander snorted at the businessman's statement.

_"We have no idea what has occurred at Haldikar...We haven't been able to get a clear reading on that star-system, there's just too much trans-phasic Omega fallout."_ His tongue slithered out, flickering in the air before returning to its place. Namir had always wondered if the reptilianoids tasted the air around them consciously or if it was something akin to blinking in most mamaloids, and her time talking with the Gorn hadn't done much to clear that up, but, when talking her Caitian physiology into account, it gave her an edge that few others at the table that few of the others had, she could tell the general direction it was aimed at. Looking across the screen to the other commanders she saw the same thing. Worry, fear, exhaustion, all of the things which they didn't need right now.

"While I was speaking with Captain Fink, the _Stargazer's_ first officer, he said something strange about the Voth's sensor signatures, but when I asked him about it, he changed his entire composure..." She rubbed the bottom of her fur-covered chin as she spoke aloud, deep in thought. "I have a feeling they know more about what's going on than they're letting on." Now all eyes were on her, gazing querying onto her statement.

_"So what are you planning to do with them, captain? I doubt asking them directly will be very conducive,"_ said the elderly Bajoran captain of the Federation starship _Kiri'Kinshar._ Namir's ears pulled back in annoyance. The time she had spent with the young first officer had been brief, but it didn't take much to see that there was more to this whole ordeal than what met the eye...Too many variables which just weren't known, and she hated being in the dark. [2]

Making up her mind on the subject, she let a devious smirk curve up across her lips. "It looks like we don't have any other choice..." The captain turned to Kelek, the commander of the lone Kazon torpedo vessel which had escaped the Delta-Quadrant in the beginning of the war. "Kelek, do you remember that shuttle you found a several weeks ago; the one among the wreckage of that unknown vessel?" The commander nodded in agreement.

_"Yes captain, though, none of the researchers have been able top figure out how to access the inner compartments-"_ The image of the Kazon commander disappeared, leaving behind a screen of static.

"Kelek? Namir to bridge, we've just contact with the _Velaka_, what happened?" She snapped. Several of the other fleet commanders were doing the same, or something similar as the static on Kelek's screen went black, being replaced the seal of his clan.

_"We're receiving an automated transmission from the _Velaka_...captain; I think you may want to hear this..."_ A low growl escaped her throat.

"Put it through, ensign." Static filled the speakers before a low beeping could be herd in regular intervals. Then a low, male voice spoke.

_"A hostile, unidentified bio-digital life form has been identified. Quarantine-lockdown has been initiated on this ship until further notice. All personnel and passengers are to report to escape transport if able..."_ The droning of the voice continued on, but Namir stopped listening. Instead, she looked over the remainder of her fleet commanders.

"I want the five ships closest to the _Velaka_ to move in and assist with the-" The deck lurched hard beneath her feet, nearly knocking her off balance. Without even giving so much as a second glance to the screen, she quickly turned to the door leading to the bridge while saying: "Meeting adjourned!"

[1] Kaless, pronounced "Kaye-less", is the lone God of Klingon religion, as well as the man whom, in Klingon ancient history, was the one whom laid down the Klingon code of honor used throughout all of the series, and up through the present.

[2] Kiri'Kinshar, an ancient Mathematician and philosopher from the planet Vulcan, whom specialized in metaphysics.


End file.
